MOSCOW, September 24 (RIA Novosti) - China is ready to fully cover the Russian demand for fruits, vegetables and pickled foods, the Izvestia newspaper reported Tuesday, citing Zhang Qingwei, director of the Department of Commerce of China's Shandong Province.
Chinese authorities are also interested in increasing the imports of grain, rapeseed and honey from Russia, Zhang told the newspaper.
Russian and Chinese authorities are currently discussing increasing the food trade between the countries, Izvestia wrote, citing a spokesman from Rosselkhoznadzor, Russia's agricultural watchdog.
On August 7, Moscow banned imports of certain food products from the European Union, the United States, Canada, Australia and Norway, all of which had previously imposed economic sanctions against Russia over its alleged involvement in the Ukrainian crisis, a claim Moscow has repeatedly denied.
A number of countries, including China, India and Brazil, have since expressed their willingness to boost food exports to Russia.
