China trumpets rising car exports to Russia as its envoy holds talks in Ukraine

By KEN MORITSUGU
Associated Press

BEIJING (AP) — The divide between China and Europe over the war in Ukraine was on display this week. As a Chinese envoy crisscrossed Europe for talks on ending the war, the Chinese foreign minister trumpeted the export of Chinese cars to Russia and Russian natural gas to China. The sharp rise in China-Russia trade is something the West sees as undermining its sanctions on Russia. Chinese envoy Li Hui was given a rundown of the horrors of the war by Ukrainian officials in Kyiv. The war has created a deep division between the West and China that has further strained Beijing’s relations with Europe and the United States.