Several major Russian commodity exporters say trade with China has become a gamble as direct payments made in yuan are increasingly being frozen or delayed after the US in June broadened the criteria for imposing sanctions.

China’s prolonged property market crisis continues to drag down economic growth. The economy grew at the slowest pace since 2023 and missed forecasts in the second quarter. This is on top of new home prices falling at the fastest pace in nine years. The sheer…