A meeting of the co-chairs of the Intergovernmental Russian-Chinese Commission on Cooperation and Development of the Russian Far East and the Northeast of the People's Republic of China was held in Moscow. The Russian part of the Commission is headed by Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation - Plenipotentiary Representative of the President of the Russian Federation in the Far Eastern Federal District Yuri Trutnev. The head of the Chinese part of the Commission is Vice Chairman of the State Council of the People's Republic of China Zhang Guoqing.
The results and promising areas of joint work in the Russian Far East and the North-East of the People's Republic of China were discussed. Over 6 years (from 2018 to 2023), the trade turnover of the Russian Far East with the People's Republic of China increased almost 2.5 times and exceeded 1.9 trillion rubles in 2023.
Companies with Chinese capital - residents of the priority development areas and the Free Port of Vladivostok are implementing 65 investment projects with a total investment volume of 1 trillion rubles. Projects with the participation of Chinese companies in the total investment volume in the Far East make up 10%. In a number of large projects, Chinese companies are technological partners, perform work on the construction of new enterprises, and participate in starting operations.
The issues of transport infrastructure development were discussed. In 2024, the volume of bilateral foreign trade cargo transportation through border crossings and seaports of Russia and China increased by 9%, to almost 176 million tons. In 2024, land checkpoints on the border with China increased cargo turnover from 40.4 to 45.9 million tons. A significant contribution to the growth was made by the opening of two new bridge crossings in 2022: Blagoveshchensk - Heihe and Nizhneleninskoye - Tongjiang. In 2024, 6.2 million tons of cargo were transported along these routes.
The construction of a bridge in the area of the settlements of Jalinda (Russia) and Mohe (China) can contribute to the increase in freight traffic. Amur Region and Heilongjiang Province have formed a promising freight base. The location of the bridge has already been agreed upon. On the Russian side, key participants in the project and the main technical parameters have been determined.
The Russian side invited Chinese partners to further develop the Northern Sea Route. In 2024, the number of voyages carried out by Chinese companies in the NSR waters doubled and amounted to 14 voyages.