ST. PETERSBURG, October 21. /TASS/. Bilateral trade between Russia and China is conducted almost entirely in national currencies, Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin said during Russian-Chinese talks ahead of the 31st regular meeting with Premier of the State Council of the People's Republic of China Li Qiang.

"Despite intensified external pressure, trade and economic cooperation between Russia and China is showing very strong momentum. Over the past 25 years, our mutual trade turnover has grown more than 30-fold. We are expanding the use of national currencies; today, their share in bilateral trade is already close to 100%," the premier said.

He also noted the steady development of cooperation between Russia and China in investment, energy, culture, and humanitarian fields. "Interregional ties and, most importantly, direct contacts between our people are consistently strengthening. At the government level, we are creating new growth drivers based on the objective competitive advantages of the Russian and Chinese economies," Mishustin added.

Furthermore, Mishustin emphasized that Russia and China continue to consistently defend their shared interests and strengthen their industrial and technological sovereignty. "And together we are achieving goals based on mutual respect, good-neighborliness, and mutual benefit," he added.

Mishustin also highlighted the strategic nature of cooperation between Russia and China in energy and transport. "And, of course, we pay special attention to cooperation in agriculture and ensuring food security for Russia and China. Cooperation in education, science, culture, and sports is also actively developing. Our humanitarian ties are rooted in long-standing traditions of friendship and mutual affinity between the Russian and Chinese peoples," he concluded.