With Western sanctions cutting off supplies, China has become Russia’s sole source of critical minerals used in weapons production—including nuclear arms—deepening concerns over Beijing’s support for Moscow’s war effort.

Since Russia invaded Ukraine nearly three years ago, the world has witnessed not only brutal conflict but also the complex web of international trade that continues to fuel Russia’s war efforts. One of the most alarming discoveries involves China,

While Chinese companies are taking advantage of the ever-stronger economic ties between the two countries, concerns are being raised about Russia's level of dependence on its neighbor at a time when it is being choked by sanctions and IT firms are laying off staff.

Russia and China are strengthening their cooperation on AI technology. Although China-Russia imports and exports have reached record levels, growth has slowed significantly compared to 2023.

Russia has suffered a major economic setback, after China and India halted their purchases of Kremlin oil. Oil and gas revenues are vital sources of revenue, accounting for between a third and half of Russia 's federal budget over the last decade. In particular, these revenues play a key role in helping Putin to finance his war in Ukraine.

In December, Russia reportedly sold its stakes in certain Kazakh uranium deposits to Chinese-owned companies. This involved Kazakhstan's nuclear resources company, Kazatomprom, and Russia's Rosatom transferring interests to Chinese entities, National Security News reported.

China is seeking global leadership in key defence and military technologies amid fierce rivalry with the West - and Russia should learn from it, a Russian think tank has said. "By 2049, we can expect the PRC navy to achieve a combat potential comparable to the US Navy,

The crude oil market is adapting quickly to the new sanctions against Russia's shadow fleet of tankers, albeit by creating both short- and medium-term winners and losers.

Trade for March-loading Russian oil in top buyer Asia has stalled as a wide price gap between buyers and sellers emerged in China after costs for chartering tankers unaffected by U.S. sanctions jumped,

Russian President Vladimir Putin has had a call with Chinese President Xi Jinping, emphasizing the two countries’ close ties, a day after Donald Trump was sworn in as the 47th U.S. president.

Eyck Freymann is a Hoover Fellow at Stanford University and Nonresident Research Fellow with the China Maritime Studies Institute at the U.S. Naval War College. Hugo Bromley is an Applied History Research Fellow at the Center for Geopolitics at the University of Cambridge.

Investment in Pituffik has been inconsistent, however, and its importance has waned since the Cold War. Renewed attention to Greenland could help the U.S. counter Russia’s growing Arctic dominance and China’s ambitions as a “near-Arctic” power.