Russia and China deepen economic ties amid surge in trade since Ukraine invasion

Russia and China has agreed to deepen investment in trade services, promote agricultural exports and boost sports cooperation, as Mikhail Mishustin, Russia's prime minister, signed a set of bilateral agreements on a visit to Beijing. Mishustin is the highest-ranking Russian official to visit Beijing since the start of the war in Ukraine. In March, China's leader, Xi Jinping, visited Vladimir Putin in Moscow in a show of support for his "dear friend". China has claimed to be a neutral mediator in the war in Ukraine, but China and Russia have pulled closer together since the start of the invasion. Mishustin's…