China-Russia Strategic Partnership: News and Analyses

[TaiShang]

Sino-Russian CR929 program enters preliminary design phase

(People's Daily Online) 13:50, March 23, 2018

A model of C929 superjet

Chinese and Russian authorities have approved the joint review of the widebody long-haul airliner dubbed CR929, noting that the program has now entered preliminary design phase.

“The Sino-Russian designed widebody long-haul airliner has been officially named the CR929, while the China-Russian Commercial Aircraft International Corporation has officially commenced operations,” Zhao Yuerang, chief manager of China’s state-owned aerospace manufacturer Comac was quoted as saying by Thepaper.cn on Thursday.

According to Thepaper.cn, the CR929 program will go through several stages, including project approval, joint review, preliminary design, manufacturing and final marketing. The program is now entering the preliminary design phase and is expected to produce the airplane within ten years.

Arguably the world’s only new wide-body, two-aisle passenger jet to be manufactured by an entity other than Boeing and Airbus, the CR929 external design was unearthed in 2016, after Russian aerospace company United Aircraft Corporation signed a contract with China’s Comac for designing a wide-body plane, challenging the traditional conglomerates Boeing and Airbus, according to Russian Aviation Insider.

http://en.people.cn/n3/2018/0323/c90000-9441107.html

 

[Nevsky]

China vows to maintain global peace, stability jointly with Russia

BEIJING, March 29. /TASS/. China plans to maintain global and regional peace and stability together with Russia, the country’s Defense Ministry spokesman said on Thursday.

Beijing attaches special importance to its relations with Moscow and therefore Defense Minister Wei Fenghe is due to pay his first foreign visit to Russia since assuming office.

"China seeks in its joint efforts with Russia to continuously promote progressive development of relations between the Armed Forces of the two countries and jointly defend interests of the two states and also maintain regional and global peace and stability," the spokesman said.

China and Russia are important strategic partners, he stressed. Chinese-Russian relations in developing the modern world serve as an example of the best ties between the powers, the spokesman noted.


China’s Defense Ministry earlier said that Wei Fenghe would pay official visits to Russia and Belarus on April 1-8. During the trip, the defense minister will take part in the 7th Moscow Conference on International Security due to be held on April 4-5.

 

[TaiShang]

China and Russia Are Now Building Weapons Together

The pair enjoy the best relations they've had since 1956

Dave Majumdar

Russia and China are drawing closer together as Moscow faces further isolation from the West. Indeed, the two great powers are starting to co-develop new weapons systems. One such example is a new drone that would be launched from a multiple launch rocket system.

The two enjoy the best relations since 1956
"Joint experimental design work with the Chinese side is underway," Tecmash Research and Production Group deputy CEO Alexander Kochkin said at the ArmHiTec-2018 exhibition on Friday according to the TASS news agency.

While cooperation between Russia and China is booming, Moscow is very much a junior partner to a fast-rising Beijing even if the two sides present it as an alliance of equals.

“Both countries present this as a partnership of equals. But yes, for now, its still Russia selling advanced weapons to China,” Sam Bendett, a researcher at the Center for Naval Analyses, told The National Interest.

China, for example, is more advanced in the development of unmanned aircraft than Russia. However, it is still Moscow that is selling its hardware to Beijing.

“What is interesting is that we have not seen any Chinese sales of their UAVs to Russia - even though China is ahead of Moscow in using combat UAVs,” Bendett said. “This particular partnership again reinforces the flow of weapons to China, not the other way around.”

Indeed, as Kochkin noted, the Russian military has no interest in the company’s drone. That is mostly because the Russian defense ministry has not developed a concept of operation (CONOPS) for these machines. The fact that the Chinese are interested suggests that Beijing is ahead of Moscow in developing a combat doctrine for UAVs.

“This also indicates that China is experimenting with various CONOPS for the use of unmanned systems in combat, and this particular delivery of UAV appeals to them,” Bendett said.

It is possible that the Kremlin might eventually adopt the system itself, but right now, concepts are often developed by Russia’s defense industry well before the military considers adopting them.

“This points to one of the biggest problems that the MOD [Ministry of Defense] and its military industrial complex have to overcome,” Bendett said. “A lot of unmanned systems development was driven by the manufacturer, not by a military requirement handed down from the MOD.”

In effect, the developmental process in Russia is being driving by industry.

“Often, a manufacturer will exhibit a system that was not necessarily required by the Russian military,” Bendett said. “So today, the MOD is trying to reverse this trend and marshal its bureaucracy to take control of unmanned weapons developments that are actually needed by the military and will be used by its forces.”

In this particular case, given Russia’s experiences in Syrian and Ukraine, Moscow might eventually adopt the system for its own use.

“Yes, perhaps down the line,” Bendett said. “The Russians have learned a great deal from Syria and Ukraine and will base their future CONOPS on these conflicts.”

Source: The National Interest

 

[JSCh]

Russians see China as most valuable partner: poll
Source: Xinhua | 2018-05-11 03:41:08 | Editor: huaxia

Chinese President Xi Jinping (R) meets with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Da Nang, Vietnam, Nov. 10, 2017. (Xinhua/Lan Hongguang)

MOSCOW, May 10 (Xinhua) -- China topped a list of countries Russians viewed as the country's most necessary and valuable partner, a poll showed Thursday.

One third of the respondents chose China, followed by Belarus (13 percent) and the United States (8 percent), according to a survey conducted by Russian polling institute Public Opinion Foundation.

Russians made the decision because they thought China is a rapidly developing country with great economic opportunities.

Nearly half of the surveyed said cooperation with China is now the most important for the Russian economy, followed by Belarus (26 percent) and Germany (23 percent).

The pollster surveyed 1,500 Russian citizens aged 18 and above across the country on April 29.

 

[TaiShang]

One third of the respondents chose China, followed by Belarus (13 percent) and the United States (8 percent), according to a survey conducted by Russian polling institute Public Opinion Foundation.

Interesting that there are still people that view the US as a partner.

It is like partnering with your adamant murder attempter.

 

[Cybernetics]

Interesting that there are still people that view the US as a partner.

It is like partnering with your adamant murder attempter.

Every country has useful idiots.

 

[Nevsky]

The thread seems to be dead these days, thats not good. @TaiShang

Russia's deliveries of coal to China grow by over 8% — energy minister

MOSCOW, December 1. /TASS/. /TASS/. Russia's deliveries of coal to China will grow by 8.4% this year compared to 2017, Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak said at a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

"At the end of 2018, we expect coal deliveries to stand at 27.2 mln tonnes, which is 8.4% more than last year," the press service of the Russian Energy Ministry quoted Novak as saying.

Talking about cooperation in the oil and gas sphere, Novak noted the Yamal SPG project. "Since the start of the first line of the project in December 2017 and of the second line in August this year, more than 4.5 mln tonnes of liquefied gas was produced. The third line will be launched in the nearest future," Novak said.

 

[TaiShang]

The thread seems to be dead these days, thats not good. @TaiShang

Busy these days.

But, let's bring it back

***

China-Russian co-production ‘How I Became Russian’ gets release date

Source:Global Times Published: 2018/12/2

Promotional material for How I Became Russian Photo: Courtesy of Huace Film & TV

How I Became Russian, a film adaptation of the 2015 hit Russian TV comedy of the same name, is set to debut in the Chinese mainland on January 18, 2019, the film's Chinese distributer announced on Sunday.

Following the hilarious story of a Russian-American journalist as he tries to adjust to living in Russia while on a long-term assignment, the 2015 20-episode series became a hit in China when it premiered on Chinese streaming platform Bilibili.

The show currently holds a 9.1/10 on Chinese review platform Douban based on more than 21,000 reviews.

Differing from the original series, the new film focuses on a young Chinese man's trip to Russia to meet his future father-in-law and was filmed in both China and Russia.

A China-Russian coproduction, the film stars Chinese mainland actor Dong Chang and Russian actor Vitaliy Khaev, who starred in the original series.

http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/1129930.shtml

 

[JSCh]

China-Russia trade volume tops 100 bln USD
Source: Xinhua| 2019-01-10 19:15:27|Editor: ZX


BEIJING, Jan. 10 (Xinhua) -- Trade volume between China and Russia exceeded 100 billion U.S. dollars by mid-December 2018, a record high, the Ministry of Commerce (MOC) announced Thursday.

Sino-Russia trade growth outpaced those between China and its other major trade partners, according to MOC spokesperson Gao Feng, calling 2018 a "genuinely fruitful year" for bilateral economic and trade cooperation.

China remains Russia's largest trade partner, while Russia is China's tenth largest trade partner.

Bilateral trade structure also improved in 2018. Trade in mechanical and electrical products, high-tech products and agricultural produce rose 15 percent, 29 percent and 31 percent respectively in the first 11 months of 2018.

The two countries also partnered on energy, nuclear, aerospace, cross-border infrastructure and other fields.

China is willing to work with Russia to lift bilateral economic and trade ties to a new phase on a larger scale with deeper dimension and higher levels, as 2019 marks the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries, Gao said.

 

[TaiShang]

BEIJING, Jan. 10 (Xinhua) -- Trade volume between China and Russia exceeded 100 billion U.S. dollars by mid-December 2018, a record high, the Ministry of Commerce (MOC) announced Thursday.

Finally. China-Russia trade is still under its full potential considering the high compatibility of the two economies.

The US has also did its fair contribution to the speedy improvement of trade. Thank you, Russia-phobiac US regime.

@Nevsky

***

2018: Year of achievement for China-Russia economic cooperation

CGTN
2019-01-10

China and Russia embraced fruitful results in economic and trade cooperation last year and new breakthroughs were made in both quantity and quality, the spokesperson for China's Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) said on Thursday.

Bilateral trade hits new high

In the first 11 months last year, the bilateral trade volume between China and Russia reached 97.24 billion U.S. dollars, up 27.8 percent year-on-year, according to the MOFCOM. China remains the largest trading partner for Russia. As of mid-December, the trade volume surpassed 100 billion U.S. dollars, a record high.

At the same time, the trade structure between the two countries continued to improve. The number of mechanical and electrical products, as well as hi-tech products, rose by 15 and 25 percent respectively. Farm produce increased by 31 percent.

Projects in emerging fields see significant results

The two countries conducted extensive cooperation in the fields of energy, nuclear, aviation and cross-border infrastructure. There was also constructive cooperation in emerging fields like the development of the Arctic and digital economy.

Regional cooperation moves forward

As 2018 marked the Year of Regional Cooperation and Exchange between China and Russia, the two countries signed the Development Planning of Northeast China and the Russian Far East. Enterprises from both sides also tapped new opportunities through the 1st China International Import Expo (CIIE) in the Chinese city of Shanghai and the 4th Eastern Economic Forum in Russia's Vladivostok.

The 4th Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok, Russia, September 11, 2018. /VCG Photo

Still, the China-Russia regional cooperation fund was officially established, further providing financing support for regional projects.

This year marks the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and Russia. China stands ready to push the economic and trade ties between the two towards a higher level, injecting a new engine for the China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership.

https://news.cgtn.com/news/3d3d414f3549544f31457a6333566d54/share_p.html

 

[TaiShang]

Belt and Road highlighted in Putin’s State-of-Nation Address

By Shan Xin (People's Daily) 16:56, February 21, 2019


Putin promised all attempts to boost relations with China and greater involvement in the Belt and Road initiative during a 90-minute State of the Nation address on Wednesday.

Under Putin’s plan, Russia will step up government spending and investment in areas like artificial intelligence and big data, and strengthen external relations of the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) by linking with the Chinese Belt and Road initiative.

Enhancing communication and expanding cooperation are the main orientations for Russia’s foreign policy in 2019, according to Putin, who expressed hope that the European Union would take real steps to restore normal political and economic relations with Moscow.

The President's State of the Nation is an annual public address by the head of the Russian state to both houses of parliament, with this year’s mainly focusing on home affairs including the country’s socio-economic development, demographics, education and healthcare. Defense and international security issues were mentioned at the end, in which the US was warned of retaliation from Moscow if Washington deployed any missiles in Europe.

http://en.people.cn/n3/2019/0221/c90777-9548620.html

 

[JSCh]

Where China & Russia meet: Cross-border railway bridge over Amur River nearing completion
Published time: 19 Mar, 2019 10:12

The two parts of the long-awaited railway bridge linking Russia and China across the Amur River, will be connected on March 20-23, according to the project’s chief engineer Li Huachao.

The 2,209-meter-long (1.4 miles) structure will link Russia’s Far East with China’s northernmost Heilongjiang province. The Nizhneleninskoe (Jewish Autonomous Region) to Tongjiang (Heilongjiang province) bridge will become the first railway bridge between the two countries. China has already completed the construction of its part.

ALSO ON RT.COM Cross-border bridge connecting Russia & China to open in 2020

“It is expected that Russia will complete the installation of the last steel beam with a length of 132 meters on March 20-23, which will officially mark the linkage of the two sides of the bridge,” said the engineer.

He added that full completion of the cross-border bridge (railway and highway parts) is scheduled for July. It is expected to be commissioned in 2019.

© skmost.com

Russia plans to export iron ore, coal, mineral fertilizers, lumber, and other goods via the link to China. Construction of the cross-border bridge officially started in 2016, following 28 years of negotiations between the two countries.

The new bridge and its corresponding infrastructure will cost more than $300 million and will be 20km (12.5 miles) long. Some 6.5km (4 miles) of the bridge and road junctions will lie in China, and the remaining 13.5km (8.5 miles) in Russia, according to China’s CNS agency. The length of the main suspension bridge will be roughly 1,300 meters (0.8 miles) and its width 14.5 meters.

The highway section of the bridge will be ready for traffic this year. Traffic capacity is expected to exceed three million tons of cargo and be used by 1.48 million people a year by 2020. It will greatly facilitate trade between the two countries, since the route will be roughly 3,500km (2,175 miles) shorter.


Where China & Russia meet: Cross-border railway bridge over Amur River nearing completion — RT Business News

---#####---​

From weibo account of China National Radio,

中国之声
今天 12:20
【“一带一路”重点工程——同江中俄铁路大桥主体工程今天凌晨合龙】
今天凌晨，同江中俄铁路大桥俄罗斯工地施工人员已将132米跨的最后一块下平联成功吊装到4#墩位置，实现了与中方段架设的钢梁合龙，这标志着同江中俄铁路大桥全线贯通，也为年内投入运营打下了基础。
同江中俄铁路大桥工程位于佳木斯市同江市哈鱼岛，与俄罗斯犹太自治州下列宁斯阔耶隔江相望，中国境内线路全长31.62公里。同江中俄跨江铁路大桥作为中俄两国首座铁路界河桥，是"一带一路"倡议与欧亚经济联盟深入对接的重要合作项目。大桥建成后，近期年过货能力为2100万吨，将成为推动中国东北振兴规划与俄罗斯远东地区发展规划对接合作的重要新兴口岸通道，其意义重大，影响深远。（央广记者郭淼）

Today 12:20

In the early hour of this morning, the construction workers of the Russian construction site of the Tongjiang-Russia Railway Bridge successfully hoisted the last piece of the 132-meter span to the 4# pier position, connecting the steel beam of the Chinese section, this mark the milestone that Tongjiang-Russia Railway bridge was completed across the entire line and laid the foundation for operation within this year. The Tongjiang-Russia Railway Bridge Project is located in Haruka Island, Tongjiang City, Jiamusi City. It faces the Ningskoye River in the Russian Jewish Autonomous Region. The total length of the line in China is 31.62 kilometers. The Tongjiang-China-Russia Cross-Rail Railway Bridge, as the first railway bridge between China and Russia, is an important cooperation project between the "Belt and Road" initiative and the Eurasian Economic Union. After the completion of the bridge, the annual cargo handling capacity will be 21 million tons, which will become an important new port channel for promoting the cooperation between the Northeast China Revitalization Plan and the Russian Far East Development Plan. It is of great significance and far-reaching impact. (Yangguang reporter Guo Wei)

 

[JSCh]

China Focus: Two sides of China-Russia highway bridge connected
Source: Xinhua| 2019-05-31 18:24:06|Editor: Yamei

HARBIN, May 31 (Xinhua) -- Two sides of the first highway bridge connecting China and Russia across the Heilongjiang River were joined together on Friday.

Measuring 1,284 meters long and 14.5 meters wide, the bridge across the Heilongjiang River, known in Russia as the Amur River, stretches from Heihe, a border city in northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, to the Russian city of Blagoveshchensk.

It is a key part of a 19.9 km-long highway project that links Jilin-Heilongjiang expressway in China and a highway in Blagoveshchensk. An estimated 2.47 billion yuan (about 358 million U.S. dollars) will be spent on the whole project, with 566 million yuan from China and 1.9 billion yuan from Russia.

To ensure project quality, steel girders that withstand as low as minus 60 degrees Celsius were used by Chinese and Russian builders in the frigid region, together with 60,000 sets of steel bolts with high weatherability.

Green ideas have been practiced in designing and construction of the bridge to minimize the impact on the river's ecosystem.

Huang Yunyong, general manager of a China-Russia joint venture for the project, said that they had purchased fish fry and released them into the upper river. Environmental protection authorities will strictly monitor the water quality and the survival of fish stocks during spawning season.

The joint venture takes charge of construction management, operation and maintenance of the bridge, and tolling to return loans.

Heihe and Blagoveshchensk face each other across the Heilongjiang River. As China opens its door wider to the world, the two cities see more vibrant people-to-people exchange and trade ties.

However, the construction of cross-border infrastructure between China and Russia has long lagged behind, a bottleneck obstructing the accelerated growth of bilateral trade.

The highway bridge was first proposed by China and Russia in 1988. Construction of the bridge began in December 2016, and is expected to complete in October.

With the help of the bridge, the passenger flow between the two cities is expected to reach 1.4 million by 2020, triple the current figure. Cargo volume will see a 10-fold increase to 3 million tonnes.

Shunxing economic and trade Co. Ltd. in Heihe is engaged in vegetable and fruit exports to Russia. Its goods are transported by ferry in summer and via a floating bridge in winter.

The company's general manager Shi Liwen said there were always a few months in a year that their cargo could not be transported due to bad weather. When the bridge opens, their business will not be affected by seasons and the goods going through the customs clearance will increase.

This year marks the 70th anniversary of the establishment of China-Russia diplomatic ties.

Sergey V. Chernenko, Russian consul general in Shenyang, said the bridge would serve as a new international highway corridor, which can increase the connectivity of Chinese and Russian cities and promote cultural and economic exchanges.

Trade volume between China and Russia exceeded 100 billion U.S. dollars by mid-December 2018, a record high, according to the Ministry of Commerce.

Song Kui, president of the Contemporary China-Russia Regional Economy Research Institute in Heilongjiang, said the bridge would further strengthen economic and trade cooperation between Russian Far East and China's northeastern provinces, boost China's investment in Russia, and inject new vitality to China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination.

A cross-border economic cooperation zone will be established to meet the growing needs of trade between China and Russia, and form a new pattern of all-round opening up for both sides, according to Qin Enting, Communist Party chief of Heihe city.

 

[JSCh]

China, Russia agree to upgrade relations for new era
Source: Xinhua| 2019-06-06 05:46:22|Editor: Liangyu

Chinese President Xi Jinping (L) shakes hands with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin while posing for photos ahead of their talks in Moscow, Russia, June 5, 2019. Xi Jinping held talks with Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin in Moscow on Wednesday. (Xinhua/Ding Haitao)

MOSCOW, June 5 (Xinhua) -- China and Russia agreed on Wednesday to upgrade their relations to a comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for a new era.

The decision was made at a meeting between visiting Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin.

During the meeting, the two heads of state highly evaluated the development of bilateral ties over the past 70 years, agreed to uphold the notion of good neighborliness and win-win cooperation, develop a comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for a new era in a bid to take bilateral ties to a higher level and better benefit the peoples of the two countries and the world as well.

Xi noted that it is his first state visit to Russia following his re-election as Chinese president last year, and is the eighth time he travelled to the country since 2013, saying that the China-Russia relationship is seeing a continuous, steady and sound development at a high level, and is at its best in history.

Both sides, said Xi, have firmly supported each other in their efforts to defend respective core interests and nurtured strong political and strategic mutual trust, adding that they have actively pushed forward all-around cooperation as internal driving forces of bilateral ties are emerging, and the convergence of the two countries' interests is deepening.

China and Russia have played active roles in international affairs and global governance, and made important contributions to maintaining world peace and stability as well as international fairness and justice, he said.

The Chinese leader noted that this year marks the 70th anniversary of the China-Russia diplomatic relationship, calling it a milestone and a new starting point.

Acknowledging the world is undergoing profound changes unseen in a century, Xi said China and Russia shoulder an even greater expectation from the peoples of the two countries and the international community.

He added that the Chinese side is ready to join Russia in amplifying the positive effect of the two countries' high level of political relationship, bringing more benefits of bilateral cooperation to the two peoples, and presenting more China-Russia options for global affairs.

Noting that the world today is becoming increasingly uncertain and unstable, Xi said enhancing the China-Russia relationship is the call of history, and a firm strategic choice by both sides.

He called on the two sides to strengthen strategic communication and coordination, and further their mutual support on issues regarding their respective core interests.

Xi also urged the two countries to further promote their economic and trade cooperation, push forward cooperation on major strategic projects as well as in emerging fields at the same time, and boost cooperation at local levels, and in economy and trade, investment, energy, technology, aerospace, inter-connectivity, agriculture and finance sectors.

The two sides, according to Xi, should actively push forward their cooperation to dock the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and the Eurasian Economic Union so as to promote regional economic integration.

To step up people-to-people exchanges, Xi said the plan for the China-Russia year of scientific and technological innovation from 2020 to 2021 should be well designed.

He said China and Russia, both permanent members of the UN Security Council, are going to continue working with the international community to safeguard the international order that is based on the international law with the UN at the core, maintain multilateral trading system and make new contributions to the building of a community with a shared future for mankind.

Putin warmly welcomed Xi for his visit, saying that with joint efforts from both sides since the establishment of diplomatic ties 70 years ago, the Russia-China relationship has reached an unprecedented high level, and the two countries' all-around exchanges and cooperation have been fruitful.

The Russia-China comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination has not only benefited the two peoples, but has also become an important force for safeguarding global security and strategic stability, he said.

Putin called on the two countries not to be complacent about what they have achieved, but be dedicated to bettering their bilateral relations.

Xi's visit is of great significance in the complicated and volatile international situation, and it will inject strong impetus into the development of the Russia-China ties in the new era, Putin said.

Russia and China should continue to strengthen coordination on major international and regional issues, jointly deal with the challenges of unilateralism and protectionism, and maintain global peace and stability.

The Russian leader said his country is committed to deepening cooperation with China in the fields of economy and trade, agriculture, finance, science and technology, environment protection, telecommunications and infrastructure construction.

Russia is willing to boost interactions at local levels, and promote exchanges in education, culture and tourism, according to him.

Putin also said Russia is ready to provide China with sufficient oil and gas, and export more soybeans and other farm produce to China, and expects a faster alignment between the Eurasian Economic Union and the BRI.

Also at the meeting, Xi and Putin were briefed by officials from both countries on bilateral cooperation in priority areas, and they exchanged views on the Korean Peninsula situation, the Iran nuclear issue and the Venezuela issue, among others.

The two heads of state agreed to step up communication and coordination in the United Nations, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, the BRICS, the APEC, and the G20 to jointly safeguard multilateralism and the norms of international relations.

Following the meeting, Xi and Putin signed the statements on elevating bilateral ties to the comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for a new era, and on strengthening contemporary global strategic stability.

According to the joint statement on the strategic partnership, the China-Russian relationship has entered a new era, and is facing new opportunities for greater development.

It said that the goal of such a new kind of partnership is for both sides to give more support to each other as they seek to take their own development paths, preserve respective core interests, and protect sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Therefore, said the statement, the two sides will closely coordinate with each other in aligning their development strategies, expand mutually beneficial cooperation in economy and trade, as well as investment, and further tap into the potential of bilateral ties.

The statement also said the two sides will give full play to the guiding role of the two heads of state in developing bilateral ties, and will regard political, security, practical, people-to-people exchanges, as well as international coordination cooperation as priorities of the China-Russia partnership.

The two leaders, after their meeting, have also witnessed the signing of a number of cooperation documents, met the press, visited an exhibition of cars produced by Great Wall Motors' plant in Russia's Tula region, and attended the inauguration ceremony of the panda house in Moscow Zoo.

Before their meeting, Putin held a grand welcome ceremony for Xi at the Kremlin.

 

[JSCh]

World's first cross-border cableway to boost China-Russia ties
2019-07-19 13:17:35 Ecns.cn

A cross-border cableway spanning the Heilongjiang River will link China and Russia. (Photo/Video screenshot from CNSTV)

(ECNS) -- Construction of the world's first cross-border cableway kicked off at the China-Russia border on Thursday, marking new progress in infrastructure connectivity between the two countries and bringing much convenience to customs clearance.

The cableway spanning the Heilongjiang River, also known as the Amur River, will link Daheihe Island in Heihe City with the Russian city of Blagoveshchensk.

The cableway will be 972 meters long and allow two-way traffic, with cable coaches each capable of carrying 80 people at a speed of seven meters per second. The cableway is designed to have a transport capacity of 6 million people annually. The time for a single-way border crossing will be shortened to less than 10 minutes.

Wang Xu, the chief designer of the project, said construction difficulties include sharp temperature changes in the area and potential impacts on the navigation of the river.

The cableway will become operational in the first quarter of 2021 and is expected to advance tourism in the region.

Qin Enting, secretary of the CPC Heihe Municipal Committee, said Heihe and Blagoveshchensk are across the river from each other, so the cableway will truly connect the two cities and boost cultural and people-to-people exchanges.

A Russian official also said the project will enable people on both sides of the river to better communicate with each other and improve tourism.

China and Russia are increasing border links through several infrastructure projects, including the Tongjiang Railway Bridge, the main construction of which is complete, and the Heihe-Blagoveshchensk road bridge, which will open soon. The plan is to build a comprehensive transportation network in the border area and connect China's Belt and Road initiative with Russia’s vision Eurasian Union.