MOSCOW, April 20. /TASS/. Moscow and Beijing are actively engaged in building supply chains in the new conditions, working on settlements in national currencies, Georgy Zinoviev, head of the First Asian Department at the Russian Foreign Ministry, said on Wednesday. He was speaking at a meeting of the group for relations with China in the State Duma, lower house of the Russian parliament.
"It is clear that we are going through a period of adaptation. We need to find possibilities to build supply chains in the new conditions, financial mechanisms for interaction, to ensure settlements in national currencies. This requires some time and effort. And this is what our countries are now actively engaged in," he said.
Zinoviev added that "the current situation will help reveal the internal potential for strengthening friendly relations between the two countries, creating new formats of cooperation." "This will significantly expand our contribution to trade, economic and humanitarian cooperation with our neighbor," he added.
According to Zinoviev, Moscow and Beijing will also continue to coordinate their steps in the international arena, which will allow them to achieve results that they would not have achieved alone. "The course towards strengthening comprehensive foreign policy cooperation with China remains an absolute priority for us. In the face of increased pressure from the collective West, we are convinced that Moscow and Beijing will continue to coordinate steps in the international arena," he said.