Commodities supply deal comes into question

Rising demand: A villager walks in front of a coal-fired power plant on the outskirts of Datong, Shanxi province. Russia is now the second-largest shipper of coal to China after Indonesia. — Reuters

BEIJING: China and Russia’s trade relationship has become more complicated since the war started more than three weeks ago, raising questions about the future flow of energy, metals and crops between the two powerhouses.

Before the war in Ukraine, Russia’s importance to China as a supplier of raw materials was only growing.