Diplomatic Protection

After Russia's abrupt closure of the Cherkizovsky Market, Moscow's biggest wholesale market, and the seizure of about 150 Chinese merchants and a large quantity of their goods, instead of making a protest or expressing strong "dissatisfaction" as they often did over more trivial matters, the Chinese Government sent a delegation to Russia to "maintain their friendship and mutual trust". Russia said the shutdown was aimed at smuggling and not against the Chinese merchants, who make up less than 40 percent of all the merchants there.