Russia and China Sign New Deals to Deepen Economic Ties

Welcome back to World Brief, where Russia and China deepen economic ties, Turkey’s anti-migrant party backs opposition candidate Kemal Kilicdaroglu, and Ukraine’s foreign minister visits Africa.

Russia and China signed a series of bilateral agreements on Wednesday that strengthen the two countries’ economic ties. The deals come at a time when Moscow is increasingly looking to Beijing for economic and political support to offset the impact of Western sanctions and international isolation over the war in Ukraine.

Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin signed the agreements—which involve deepening investment in trade services, promoting Russian agricultural exports to China, and furthering sports cooperation—during a visit to Beijing, where he met with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Chinese Premier Li Qiang. It is the highest-profile trip to China by a Russian official since the beginning of Russia’s war in Ukraine, though Xi visited Russian President Vladimir Putin, whom he called his “dear friend,” in Moscow this past March. Li Hui, China’s special representative for Eurasian affairs, is set to visit Russia on Friday.

The two countries have increased trade since the start of the war. The first three months of this year saw trade between Russia and China reach $53.8 billion, a nearly 40 percent increase from the same period the year prior.

Meanwhile, a new Gallup poll found that, since the war started, Russia’s neighbors—including those traditionally favorable to it—have taken on a dimmer view of the country’s leadership. According to Gallup, “In four countries historically sympathetic to Russian leadership—Armenia, Moldova, Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan—the percentage who disapprove now exceeds the percentage who approve.” Disapproval also rose in Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan. Last week, China—not Russia—held a Central Asia summit, where Xi unveiled plans for development and pledged a “new blueprint” for the region.

• Russia’s Frighteningly Fascist Youth by Ian Garner
• It’s Time to Recognize the Taliban by Javid Ahmad and Douglas London
• Turkey Is the EU’s Only Hope by Philip Balboni

Joining the party. Umit Ozdag, leader of Turkey’s far-right, anti-migrant Victory Party, announced his support for Turkey’s main opposition candidate, Kemal Kilicdaroglu. Kilicdaroglu is going head-to-head with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in a presidential runoff election this Sunday.

Ozdag said that he decided to support Kilicdaroglu after the two spoke on the matter of repatriating millions of migrants currently living in Turkey. Turkey hosts the world’s largest refugee population, including 3.7 million Syrians, and high inflation and economic turmoil, as well as the ongoing recovery from the devastating earthquake earlier this year, have made immigration a major campaign issue. Ozdag told reporters that Kilicdaroglu “has stated very clearly that refugees should return to their homeland and that this is the policy he will implement.”

Ozdag may have endorsed Kilicdaroglu, but Sinan Ogan, who placed third in the first round of the presidential election on May 14, endorsed Erdogan. In the first round, Erdogan received 49.5 percent of the vote, while Kilicdaroglu got 44.9 percent. Ogan, who was the joint candidate for a small conservative parties’ alliance that included Ozdag’s Victory Party, secured a humble 5.2 percent.

Kyiv courts Africa. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba began his tour of Africa this week with the goal of encouraging African leaders to support Ukraine. “Important negotiations lie ahead with African leaders and business,” Kuleba wrote on Instagram, citing in particular the need for African support to keep Ukrainian grain exports flowing uninterrupted via the Black Sea. The visit is part of a broader project by Ukraine’s government to try to court favor with the global south, which has so far taken a more ambivalent view of Russia’s war in Ukraine than many countries in Europe and North America.

Russia, for its part, plans to hold a Russia-Africa summit in July in St. Petersburg. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov visited the continent last year and this year. Kuleba, too, went to Africa last fall, but cut his trip short when Russia launched a missile campaign across Ukraine.

Against activism? German police carried out raids in seven different states on Wednesday, targeting climate activists who in recent months have staged high-profile acts of civil disobedience to bring attention to climate change. The activists, part of a group known as Last Generation, have glued themselves to roads to block traffic and thrown food at famous works of art, among other protest activities.

Now they are being investigated on suspicion of supporting or forming a criminal organization, according to the police, though there is debate in Germany as to whether or not these actions constitute criminal activity. Two activists arrested Wednesday have been accused of planning to sabotage an oil pipeline. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has called Last Generation’s tactics “completely crazy,” while some politicians have said that campaigners should be hit with jail sentences. According to polling, most Germans disagree with the group’s tactics, but many also believe they have the right to campaign peacefully.

Would you like to be buried amid mushrooms? On the off chance that your answer is “yes,” there is good news. A Dutch inventor is “growing” coffins by mixing the root structure of mushrooms, known as mycelium, with hemp fiber. The mushroom coffins break back down and deliver remains to the earth in under two months (traditional wooden coffins, by comparison, can take years to degrade). Loop Biotech, the company that produces the coffins, apparently also grows urns that come with saplings, which can be buried, broken down, and then used to feed a new tree.