off the top story we're following for you. china's top diplomat has met with his russian counterpart saturday, love rob in moscow. a kremlin spokesperson has now confirmed that one will also be meeting with president vladimir putin on his visit. wang said, patient relationship with moscow is rock solid western use for now coming up next, my colleague can turn out to my loan. as your business, you're looking at the economic side of china's relationship with russia. i'll be back again at the top of the next are with these places in europe, for smashing records into a bold adventure. it's the treasure map for modern globetrotters discover. some of you will record breaking sites on your back. and now also in book form,

the only way i can be on the top is to create my own m. just a story with just a click away. the dirty, the destination, right? size of this documentary with before i came in tree, a china is top diplomat is in russia thing, relations between the 2 countries are solid as a rock. china has famously criticized western sanctions against russia. what could it soon be facing its own? also on the show, a closely watched survey shows the german businesses are feeling more optimistic

about the future. even as they say the president is less than ideal. this is the w business. i'm janelle tomor on welcome. china's top diplomat wiring ne size is countries relations are solid as rock in moscow where he is needing rushes . foreign minister, sir gay flavor of the chinese official has been discussing security in the asia pacific region and the war and ukraine with russian counterparts. his visit to moscow comes after washington said that china is finding to step up support of russia's war on ukraine. it warn't such a move and would prompt washington to target chinese firms and financial institutions if they materially support rashaw so. so one is our bureau chief in taipei or welcome. how likely is it that china will face

sanctions for supporting russia? well, it's a likely that china will become an alliance with russia in this war because it's not in china's interest. earlier this year, china's dress that the relationship between china and russia is based on no alliance, no confrontation, and no targeting of 3rd parties indicating that the relationship with russia is kept at a distance. however, we see baby steal, supports russia, and a gives it diplomatic, and ignore mich, support, beliefs room for it, not to openly sell arms to russia. the 2 sides are acting and take inventions of each other. china wants to resume investment and trait with europe. so it would be very unwise on to materially support russia and face for the sanctions. you mentioned that it is providing economic support. what is china doing to help russia financially exactly? are following rush us invasion of ukraine a year ago. most western countries imposed severe sanctions on russia, including a ban on oil imports and exports of high tech products. many western companies have

completely cut off their ties with russia and russia's trade with the u. s. u. k and e u countries has declined significantly. however, overall trade between russia into china reached a reco level in 2022, up by 30 percent year on year. both rush us imports from and exports, especially oil and gas to china, grew china now becomes moscow's most important train partner by a large margin. now china, of course, seems to be trying to balance its political support for russia, with its eager nomic need to get things going again after the coven lockdown. how is it managing that or jail as a war, drags on bateman's losses increase as a u. as in europe increasingly view china as the strategic competitor bady has suffered the facts of multilateral export controls, investment restrictions, and other measures that could hinder its long term growth prospects. the emphasis

on no alliance as i mentioned, indicate that aiden is, are slightly adjusting his policy towards russia. now, many china experts downplayed previous official statement that china friendship with russia has no limit. then it was a, a rhetoric statement that should not be taken literally. eventually, what matters to beijing is still its own economy. so some hand reporting for us anti pay. thank you very much. businesses in germany are feeling more upbeat about the future. that's according to the closely watched e f o business climate index, the survey manufacturers, builders, wholesalers, and retailers. the index registered a $91.00 points in february, up from 90 point to the month prior, making the 5th mit marking the 5th consecutive monthly increase, lower wholesale gas prices as well as china lifting coven restrictions help fuel that optimism. but that bright outlook is balanced out by a dom review of the present the induct showing how german business currently views

business conditions has dropped for the 2nd month in a row. robert lehman from the eco center for macro economics and surveys is here with us. thank you very much. now, how do you explain this split between the optimism for the future and a decidedly less for the view of the present? thank you for having us, as you stated correctly. the future is much broader concerning to our firms and we expect that the german weakness will not last less that longer with indicators of 2023. however, as you mentioned it, the business situation is not that good as in january, which leaves us with the conclusion that germany was facing a mild, but not severe recession in the 4th quarter of 2022 and the 1st quarter of 2020 free. so are you saying that this optimism might not actually be translated to

hard data? no, we guess i guess the, the optimism for the future will translate into future all of good performing hard data. there are 2 things that we would, that we might expect. the 1st one is that, especially private consumption expenditure will increase the curse of the year because the inflation pressure gets down at a 2nd think is best german manufacturing firms still have a high stock of current orders together with a loss or a decrease in supply chain bottlenecks we will see indicators of the year that also manufacturing production will increase. but there is a difference between the economy not flowing and the economy rebounding strongly. whereas germany than along that spectrum. i guess it's not, it's not the rebound that we might could have expected based on the corona crisis. however, if inflation pressure gets down and we also expected the e, c,

b will arise, its interest rates. this will be good for, especially for consumers. and then we could slowly adopt to the, to the, to the latest growth path. and then the full potential of to germany economy will recover into in 2024. i guess. thank you. robert lehman from the eco center for macro economics and surveys. they're with us. thank you very much. south africans had suffered years of ruling power cuts, but just recently things have gotten much worse. earlier this month, the country's government declared a state of disaster with energy utility, as calm in deep crisis, left quite literally in the dark. many south africans are wondering when the electricity struggle blend. forced to so by candlelight fraser. caswell, a seamstress and cape towns, mitchell's plane township has had to give up a lot of her clients due to rolling power outages that have become

a part of life across south africa and couldn't take a look. so it was just home, but i never disappointing. so i always try to finish up. we us, so, i mean, it's close with south africans laughed out a 10 hours a day without electricity because of rolling blackouts by struggling state utility, ask arm. the city of cape town aims to have power cuts for its residents by 2026. or you can go in economy with the power. so we would not be having this discussion as a city, if it is, comes working. if the statement nobody was working. but like many stegman of police around the world, it is not working. it is very ineffective. it has not invested adequately. it is very bloated. it is very, very corrupted as at the center of south africa stud capture scandal of the last few years. so it does require moving away from cape town, issued a 200 megawatts or energy tender last year and expects to follow with another in

the next few weeks, officials plan to procure up to 500 megawatts from private power companies by 2026 to provide roughly a 3rd of this city's annual tricity needs. other cities, including johan iceberg are looking at issuing similar contracts with private power companies and solar energy tenders. but there are major challenges. for example, so far it's mainly just large businesses and wealthy residents who can afford to install solar panels. alternative energy companies now want to help low income households. i against the sunni, able to get me. this is the end of this work that we do with the dressmaker phase. that caswell hope. so one day she will also be able to afford solar panels to easy impact of the persistent outages. now to some of the other global business stories making news, china's tourism sector is expected to rebound sharply this year,

the end of beijing's a 0 coven strategy, allows chinese people to travel freely after and nearly 3 ears of restrictions. domestic tourism could reach $560800000000.00 and recover to about 71 percent of a 2019 levels according to data from the china tourism academy. more than 20 percent of the energy produced in the u between march last year and january came from wind and solar energy, according to a report by amber climate. it says, the surgeon renewable energy production a lower the need for gas imports along the block to say, the 12000000000 euros. here's a little known fact alongside france, and it'll, the lebanon is one of the oldest wine regions in the world with 300 days of sunshine a year. the country offers the best conditions for wine production, even alongside conflict and hardship. in some regions. i make my way from the

mediterranean to the hinterland through lebanon's book har, plateau. it's controlled by terrorist militias, drug traffickers, and arm smugglers. at the same time, it's the country's most fertile region and home to a millennia old tradition. video culture. when we arrive at chateau co freya, the harvest is just beginning. it's hot. they have to finish before noon. winemaker fabrizio becto always lends a hand so it can get done in time. but up with this winery has belong to a lebanese family for generations. but when frenchman fab please you bill toll came to visit here 15 years ago. he fell in love with the area and it's wine. the family took him in, allowing him to stay and eventually making him the head winemaker. this is a classic of his lie. lovely bodies culture very much when we come together,

work together, and there are problems, we always find solutions to give them when i, and that's what council, what makes the culture here for thank you. for breeze now speaks perfect arabic, lebanon has become his 2nd home, as it has for his harvest workers, only for different reasons, like fleeing the war in syria, or having a good connection with boss, for breeze. the joint tea ceremony with his friend marriage to ritual. ah, okay, this is what real life means to me. this is what's important to me. what is the problem? after all, is that the world has become clean and antiseptic in a funny way. people are afraid of the smallest ant, but living in harmony with nature. that's actually right, am beautiful, of reese is proud to be able to continue lebanon 6000 year old wine making tradition as a european. and at the same time, training young lebanese, like eli,

that can tell got the situation with us in the one on it's so bad as far as our reputation fee, right. so it's good to have at this one, b to fulton, galvan on stands for wine as a good ambassador, that's your mission here, and otherwise crisis ridden lebanon, that's our show from our check out d, w dot com slash business. thank you for watching, with in ruins. the lives of millions of people in turkey and syria. it was a catastrophe. many had predicted, primarily striking, those already struggling to survive. we travel to areas hardest hit and encounter

despair, grief and anger to next on d w's. with our sports, all a scoring we say there about giving up sports like every weekend on d. w ah a he couldn't make it to the funeral in time sitting in front of his mother's freshly dug grave in the turkish village of tow car twinge. i shall hain, still can't believe what has happened. his mother was among the 10s of thousands of people whose lives were claim.