Western sanctions have made trade between China and Russia difficult

Various Western sanctions have hampered trade between China and Russia, forcing both sides to use cross-border digital trading platforms.
As Western financial sanctions against Russia over Russia's invasion of Ukraine make China-Russia trade settlements increasingly difficult, the two sides are forced to rely on cross-border digital trading platforms, VOA reported today.
The report released by Reuters on July 25 after an interview with the president and vice president of the China-Russia Cross-Border Digital Business Platform concluded the above.
Founded by the Chinese in 2013, the China-Russia Cross-Border Digital Trade Platform was originally only used for digital payment services to send products made in China to Russia. But since this year, the digital settlement service has been extended to China-Russia bilateral trade. This is because the US has warned Chinese banks involved in China-Russia trade of a second level of sanctions, forcing them to comply with the decision and to resolve the growing trade settlement issues between the two sides in a timely and efficient manner.
That said, the number of Chinese banks willing to take over trade settlements between China and Russia has dwindled after the US Treasury Department threatened a second round of sanctions. While some small, secretive regional banks have agreed to offer settlement services despite the risk of penalties, the process remains complex and slow, hampered by accounting and reimbursement issues.