18,000 tons of flaxseed oil sold to China! Russia is using edible oil to secure a long-term ticket to Asia

18,000 tons of flaxseed oil, $17 million.

Not a natural gas pipeline, not a major arms deal—just a barrel of oil. But this very barrel hides a signal being overlooked by most people: Russia is using everything it can think of to secure a long-term ticket to Asia.

According to TASS on July 7, in the first five months of 2026, Russia exported approximately 18,000 tons of flaxseed oil to China, with export value exceeding $17 million. How much was it during the same period last year? 1,500 tons, $1.5 million. In just one year, sales have increased tenfold.

Don’t rush to shout “explosion in Sino-Russian trade.” 18,000 tons of oil, when compared to the annual $240+ billion Sino-Russian trade volume, barely makes a ripple. But this tenfold growth is worth paying closer attention to.

First, even small bases show growth.

The jump from 1,500 tons to 18,000 tons may seem dramatic because last year’s volume was so low. But achieving a tenfold increase in a product category nearly negligible before shows strong push behind the scenes. Who’s pushing? The Russian Ministry of Agriculture. Flaxseed oil was designated as a “priority export agricultural product” around 2023, with logistics subsidies and inspection certifications receiving full support. This isn’t natural market growth—it’s policy-driven cultivation.

Russians are doing something very practical: turning everything they can press into oil and selling it to China. Selling raw materials (flaxseeds) versus processed goods (flaxseed oil) brings vastly different profit margins. The 18,000 tons of oil equate to about 50,000–60,000 tons of raw material crushed—indicating Russia is shifting from “selling soil” to “selling processing.” It’s a step up the industrial chain, albeit only just beginning.

Second, logistics must be open for business to scale.

In November 2025, the first container train transporting plant oil via liquid bags departed Moscow bound for China, covering 10,500 kilometers and arriving in under 20 days. Prior to this, Russian rail logistics companies and relevant enterprises jointly organized this freight service, carrying 90 containers filled with rapeseed oil. With enhanced rail cold-chain capacity, large-scale transport of plant oils to China has become feasible. Previously, sea shipping took over a month; now, rail transport arrives in less than three weeks.

Without this logistics corridor, those 18,000 tons of flaxseed oil could never have reached China. Infrastructure improvements are the real backbone driving this tenfold surge.

Third, the Chinese market is actively “changing suppliers.”

In 2025, China’s flaxseed imports totaled approximately 1.08 million tons, a 55% year-on-year increase, with Russia accounting for as much as 75% of the total. In other words, out of every ten bags of flaxseed China buys, seven and a half come from Russia.

At the same time, China reduced its imports of peas from Canada by 60%, while increasing imports from Russia by 80%. This is no coincidence. Western sanctions have forced Russia toward the East, while China is embracing a “diversified supply” strategy to absorb these goods. On one side, Russia is compelled to seek buyers; on the other, China is proactively changing suppliers—two sides meeting perfectly.

But don’t exaggerate this story into a narrative of “Russia’s entire economy fully pivoting eastward.” 18,000 tons of flaxseed oil, $17 million, represents less than 0.4% of Russia’s total agricultural exports to China—$4.2 billion in the first five months of 2026. It’s more like a signal flare, telling everyone: Russia is systematically shipping everything it can sell—from oil and gas to flour and cooking oil—eastward.

The “capillary” of flaxseed oil is growing thicker. Its thickening reflects Russia’s desperate search for new export routes after Western markets closed their doors. Every drop of oil sold to China is Russia’s tuition fee for securing an “Asian entry ticket”—exchanging resources for market access, trading agricultural products for survival space.

Is that ticket worth $17 million?

Yes. Because for today’s Russia, anything that can be sold is good oil.

18,000 tons of flaxseed oil, $17 million. To Russia, this is a victory of “turning east”; to China, it’s another calculation entirely.

China’s move isn’t about “taking on the burden”—it’s about “filling the gap.”

China is the world’s second-largest importer of agricultural products. In 2025, its agricultural imports amounted to $207.4 billion, accounting for about 9% of global import share. The number of countries supplying China has expanded from 169 in 2001 to 194 in 2025. What does this mean? China is actively expanding and diversifying its import basket. Russia wasn’t granted a market as charity—it just happened to appear exactly where China was filling in the blanks.

This is the truth behind the diversification strategy: we’re not each other’s sole supplier, nor are we saviors for one another. We simply meet mutual needs—no need for emotional overreach.

Original article: toutiao.com/article/1870049963790336/

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author.