CHARACTERISTICS AND DEVELOPMENT TRENDS OF CHINA-UKRAINE ECONOMIC AND TRADE COOPERATION UNDER THE “BELT AND ROAD” INITIATIVE

Abstract

With the continuous promotion of the “Belt and Road” initiative, China's economic and trade cooperation with countries along the route has achieved rich results. China and Ukraine are two important economies in the world. As one of the important countries along the “Belt and Road”, Ukraine actively responded to China's proposed “Belt and Road” initiative in December 2013 and became the first European country to announce its support for the initiative. Ukraine is located in eastern Europe, connecting Europe and Asia, and is an important country for the “Belt and Road” to reach Europe. Ukraine has always insisted on achieving all-round, multi-field cooperation with China. In recent years, the two countries have achieved fruitful results in infrastructure, agriculture, energy, high-tech, and investment fields. Since 2019, China has become Ukraine’s largest trading partner. The COVID-19 pandemic and the political situation have greatly affected the trade between the two countries, with a sharp drop in trade volume and stagnation in some areas. In the future, the two countries can strengthen strategic alignment and optimize trade policies under the framework of the “Belt and Road” initiative, deepen cooperation in various fields, especially in high-tech fields, and comprehensively improve the level of trade. This article mainly analyzes the current situation of China-Ukraine economic and trade cooperation, examines its characteristics, and explores the trend of future cooperation development between China and Ukraine under the current international situation, and provides future strategies based on the current environment.