Ruslan Davydov, the acting head of Russia’s Federal Customs Service said in an interview with the business newspaper RBK on Wednesday that it appears the trade turnover between Russia and China would reach $220 billion this year.

Trade turnover increased by 27% between January and September, for an increase of $35 billion year over year, as China became the largest contributor to the overall increase in trade for Russia’s far East, according to Davydov.

He went on to predict, “If the current trends continue, mutual turnover may reach $220 billion by the end of the year.”

Trade between Russia and China reached a record $190 billion last year, increasing 29% over the amount from 2021, as Russia redirected its trade relationships to the East following the raft of sanctions imposed upon Moscow following the onset of the conflict in Ukraine.

Davydov added that the Federal Customs Service was streamlining its customs procedures, which would lead to a faster delivery of goods, and that would increase the growth in trade even further.

For over a decade, Russia’s largest trading partner has been China, with China delivering cars, machinery, electronic goods, and other produce, to Russia, as Russia has supplied China with crude oils and other fossil fuels.