China and Russia should explore using their own platforms – and could tap obscure banks – to settle payments while strengthening ties in the Russian far east, if the neighbours want to get around Western economic sanctions over Moscow’s war in Ukraine, a Chinese research organisation says.Smaller Chinese banks could be “promoted” for trade with Russia, while setting up new financial institutions could help “circumvent Western sanctions”, according to a May 11 report by the Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies at the Beijing-based Renmin University.Sanctions from the West had suspended 80 per cent of payment settlements between Russia and China...