China's exports to Russia decline in April

BEIJING, May 9 (Reuters) - China's yuan-denominated exports to Russia fell in April on a year-on-year basis after a gain the prior month, while the decline in imports accelerated, Chinese customs data showed on Friday.

Outbound shipments to Russia shrank 1.6% last month from a year earlier, following a 2.8% gain in March. Imports from Russia fell 14.1% in yuan terms in April, worsening from a 9.8% loss in March.

China is Russia's biggest trading partner and has thrown Moscow an economic lifeline that has helped it navigate Western sanctions imposed following Moscow's 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Reuters reported last month that slowing economic growth and reduced demand for large purchases have curtailed the volume of Russia's imports from China.

For the first four months of the year, China's exports to Russia fell 4.2% and imports were down 8%. The value of two-way trade hit 510.6 billion yuan ($70.47 billion) in January-April.

At talks in the Kremlin on Thursday, Chinese President Xi Jinping told Russia's Vladimir Putin that their two countries should be "friends of steel", as they pledged to raise cooperation to a new level.

Xi said China, currently engaged in a tariff war launched by U.S. President Donald Trump, and Russia should solidify the foundations of their cooperation and "eliminate external interference".

($1 = 7.2456 Chinese yuan renminbi)