PARIS, April 3. /TASS/. Interaction between Russia and China positively impacts global politics, France’s EHESS Research Director Jacques Sapir said in an interview published on the website of Le Dialogue Franco-Russe business association on Monday.
"The recent meeting between the leaders of Russia and China, Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping, led to major economic agreements," the researcher said.
According to him, this summit directly influenced the development of international relations. "We are already seeing a reconciliation between Tehran and Riyadh as a result of Beijing’s initiatives and the normalization of relations between Syria and Saudi Arabia influenced by Moscow," Sapir said.
Yuan replacing dollar
The French researcher also highlighted the increasingly active use of the yuan as an alternative to the dollar in the international trade. "Many countries decided to use the Chinese currency for foreign trade transactions - these are Saudi Arabia, Brazil and lately France as well," he noted.
The professor pointed out that Paris intended to buy liquefied gas from Saudi Arabia which had suggested to use the yuan for transactions. "This is very important," he stressed.
Additionally, according to him, Riyadh "displayed interest in joining BRICS as well as receiving observer status with the Shanghai Cooperation Organization."
Xi Jinping was on a state visit to Russia on March 20-22, during which he had negotiations with Putin. On the first day of his visit, the Chinese leader held one-on-one talks with the Russian president for 4.5 hours, and on the following day, he spent about six hours at talks in the Kremlin in various formats. The parties signed two statements outlining what was accomplished during the visit and called it successful.