Moscow has become even more economically dependent on Beijing. Russia’s aluminum exports to China surged 56% in the first five months of 2025, nearly reaching 1 million metric tons, Bloomberg reports.
Following sweeping EU sanctions over the war in Ukraine, China has replaced Europe as Russia’s key trading partner, with bilateral trade totaling more than $240 billion last year. This year, the EU approved a gradual ban on Russian aluminum imports, imposing a 275,000-ton quota valid until February 2026.
Meanwhile, Russian copper exports to China rose by 66%, and nickel shipments more than doubled, Trade Data Monitor reports, citing Chinese customs data.
Top Russian producers like Norilsk Nickel and Rusal are not directly sanctioned by the US but face restrictions: their metals are no longer accepted on the London or Chicago Metal Exchanges, pushing them to shift sales to Asian markets.
Sources say Rusal is offloading accumulated stockpiles from Russia throughout 2025, with total shipments to China expected to hit 1.5 million tons by year’s end.
Meanwhile, Norilsk Nickel is partnering with China’s Shandong Gold to expand cathode copper exports. Other Russian firms, including Russian Copper Co. and UMCC, both already under sanctions, continue to trade with Chinese buyers.
Previously, David O’Sullivan, the EU’s special envoy for sanctions enforcement related to Russia’s war against Ukraine, said that 80% of Russian weapons components come from China, UkrInform reports.
He explained that Russia is circumventing sanctions through third countries and noted that Beijing’s major role in supplying dual-use goods and critical components remains a major obstacle to undermining Russia’s war machine.