For a stretch of about 1,000 miles (1,600 km), China and Russia are separated by the mighty Amur River – a symbol of the two countries' tense and complicated histories.
Once bitter enemies during the Cold War, Moscow and Beijing have in recent years deepened their political and economic cooperation, driven by a shared desire to counterbalance the West.
A Russian flag can be seen flying by the river that runs through the Chinese border town of Heihe. Looking at the remote border town, Russia and China look more like friends than rivals.
The close ties between the two countries are on vivid display at this trade outpost. Trucks loaded with goods regularly cross the Amur River, known as Heilongjiang in China, on a newly built road bridge connecting Heihe with its sister city of Blagoveschensk in Russia.
Old friends
Russian influences in Heihe, such as Russian-style domes or spires atop high-rise apartment buildings, schools, museums and even some government buildings, attract tourists from all over China.
Hit by sanctions from the US and its allies, Russia has found an economic lifeline in neighbouring China, with the two countries’ leaders – President Vladimir Putin and President Xi Jinping – declaring an “unlimited” partnership just weeks before the conflict in Ukraine erupted in February 2022.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping clink glasses during a visit to the Far East Street exhibition on the sidelines of the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok, Russia, on September 11, 2018. In total, Xi and Putin have met 40 times since 2013, the year Xi took office, attending high-level events in each other's countries. Most recently, the Chinese leader made a three-day visit to Moscow for talks with President Putin, from March 20-22, 2023. Photo: Dhaka Tribune
Bilateral trade grew by nearly 30 percent last year, according to Chinese customs data, and Russia was China's top oil supplier in the first two months of this year.
“It is clear that Russia is increasingly dependent on China, although the Russians may not like it,” said Jon Yuan Jiang, a specialist in China-Russia relations based in Sydney, Australia.
Heihe, a city of about 1.5 million people, is largely bilingual, with shop names, street signs and menus written in both Chinese and Russian. Local business owners, even fruit and popcorn vendors, greet foreigners in simple Russian — a skill they picked up before the pandemic when Russian tourists flocked to their places.
“When border trade was not affected by the pandemic, we could see Russians everywhere on the streets, it was like meeting old friends,” a 70-year-old man surnamed Shi told NBC News while strolling through a riverside park that features large sculptures of Russian dolls.
Amid the conflict in Ukraine and China’s strict “zero-Covid” policies that only recently ended, fewer tourists from across the border have come to Heihe, said Tang Lu, owner of a Russian-style bar whose clientele is mostly Russian.
“But the Chinese also like this place, and they can sing and socialize with the Russians,” she said.
People walk along the Heilongjiang, also known as the Amur River, in Heihe, Heilongjiang, China. Across the river are buildings in the Russian town of Blagoveshchensk, February 2023. Photo: CNA
Business opportunities
China and Russia are neighbors with a long and complicated relationship that dates back centuries. The conflict in Ukraine has pushed them closer together, with Beijing refusing to condemn Moscow’s military campaign in the Eastern European country.
President Xi Jinping is also trying to strike a delicate balance in his approach to the conflict, Mr. Jiang said. China is seeking to present itself as neutral while also calling for peaceful negotiations.
Mr Xi and Mr Putin, who call each other “best friends”, have spoken several times since the conflict in Ukraine began and met in Moscow in March.
Right on the historic river, last June, Beijing and Moscow solemnly held the inauguration ceremony of the first road bridge connecting Heihe on the Chinese side and Blagoveschensk on the Russian side.
“The Blagoveshchensk-Heihe Bridge has a special symbolic significance in today’s disunited world. It will become another bond of friendship connecting the people of Russia and China,” said Yury Trutnev, the Kremlin’s special envoy to the Russian Far East.
Russian trucks drive across the Amur River (Heilongjiang) from Blagoveshchensk (Russia) to Heihe city (China) at the inauguration ceremony of the first road bridge across the river, June 10, 2022. Photo: ZUMA Press
The $369 million project connects the twin cities of Heihe in China’s Heilongjiang province with Blagoveshchensk, the capital of the Amur region in Russia’s Far East. Moscow hopes the bridge will see the movement of some 4 million tonnes of cargo and 2 million passengers a year when fully operational.
That is likely to further boost bilateral trade between China and Russia, which had been forecast to increase as Moscow increasingly looks to Beijing for economic partnerships, although questions remain about how much China will support its Western-sanctioned neighbor.
Russia’s growing isolation has also created opportunities for Chinese companies. With tech giants like Apple and Samsung scaling back operations in the country, more than 70% of Russian smartphones now come from Chinese manufacturers like Xiaomi, according to consumer electronics retailer M.Video-Eldorado.
But the war in Ukraine still casts a long shadow over border towns like Heihe.
“I was shocked and felt disbelief when the war broke out,” said Mr. Shi. “After all, war causes the most harm to the people of the two warring countries. I wish the war could end as soon as possible . ”
Minh Duc (According to NBC News, CNN)
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