How is China supporting Russia after it was sanctioned for Ukraine war?

India, which has continued to maintain its decades-old relationship with Russia, has also been a major buyer of its discounted oil since the invasion.

Russia’s share of India’s total oil imports hit a record high of 44% in June 2023, according to the Bank of Baroda, external, an Indian state-controlled lender.

In 2023, China also imported eight million tonnes of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) from Russia, a 77% increase from 2021.

Speaking at a trade fair in Harbin on the second day of his visit to China, Mr Putin said energy ties will continue to grow and that Russia is ready to supply China with clean energy.

Moscow hopes to make progress towards finalising an agreement for a new pipeline – called the Power of Siberia 2 – to export natural gas from Russia’s Siberia region to north-eastern China.

China already receives gas from Russia through the original Power of Siberia pipeline, which has been in use since 2019.