Sanctions imposed on Russia are disrupting China’s ambitions to move more exports to Europe, a setback for the $4 trillion effort championed by Chinese leader Xi Jinping to cement his country as the world’s pre-eminent trading partner.
Although the European Union has yet to officially ban imports passing through Russia, inbound rail-cargo shipments have all but frozen, according to freight forwarders. Moving shipping containers from China along a 7,500-mile corridor that runs through Russia and extends to the United Kingdom is a vital part of Belt and Road, a yearslong undertaking that includes investments to connect China to Europe by land and sea.
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