Trade between China and Russia witnessed "a big surge" in the first two months of this year, Premier Li Keqiang said on Wednesday.

Li made the remarks at a media conference held after the closing of the National People's Congress annual session.

China's trade with Russia has been affected in recent years due to sluggish global economic recovery and the decline in international energy prices, Li said.

"I recall that last year, on the same occasion, I expressed the hope that our business relations will be able to turn the corner and achieve strong growth. Thanks to our joint efforts, this has been achieved.

The truth is that in the first two months of this year, there was actually a big surge in China-Russia trade," he said.

The Premier said this shows there is tremendous untapped potential in bilateral trade ties.

"I have confidence that the goals we set for our two-way trade can be achieved," he said.