Russian President Vladimir Putin stated on Tuesday that although "nobody is waiting for Russia in the international markets," the country must compete for a place there, offering competitive goods.
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"By promoting our [Russian] products in international markets, we make them globally competitive, which means that we are raising our domestic production level. This means that our consumers will use goods and services that are not only competitive with the world's analogs but, what is even better, exceed them in quality," Putin said, speaking in the Russian parliament's lower house, State Duma.
"If we isolate ourselves and will be pickled like cucumbers in a barrel, nothing good will come out of it. Only cucumbers can become more delicious — and even then, experts say, something must be added to the barrel. Therefore, we should not engage in self-isolation," the president noted metaphorically.
According to Putin, in such spheres as petrochemistry and metal industry, Russia has already reached such a level that the domestic market is not enough for these goods. The Russian president also recalled that agriculture is currently gaining strength in the country.
"We are still fighting for the Chinese market of pork. We have not yet achieved the desired results, but we hope our Chinese friends will react. Some steps have already been taken in this direction," he said, adding that if China closes its domestic market for American goods, Russia will be "right there with its piggies."
China responded by introducing its own tariffs on goods produced in the United States. Both countries warned each other that they could implement further mutual restrictions. Last month, Trump suggested the introduction of an additional $100 billion in tariffs against China in response to Beijing's "unfair retaliation."
