Translation. Region: Russian Federal
Source: Ministry of Economic Development (Russia) – Ministry of Economic Development (Russia) –
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China has been Russia's leading trading partner for over 10 years. Despite global market fluctuations and sanctions pressure, bilateral cooperation continues to strengthen, showing significant positive results. This was stated by Dmitry Volvach, Deputy Minister of Economic Development of Russia, during the plenary session of the fifth Russian-Chinese Forum on Interregional Cooperation, which was held as part of the ninth Russian-Chinese EXPO in parallel with the INNOPROM industrial exhibition in Yekaterinburg. In total, the Russian-Chinese portfolio includes more than 80 investment projects worth more than $200 billion.
According to the Federal Customs Service of Russia and the General Administration of Customs of the People's Republic of China, in 2024, trade turnover between the countries reached a historical maximum, increasing by 7.5%. In January-April 2025, these figures will remain the same. "On the instructions of the presidents of our countries, by 2030, our goal is to scale the volume of mutual trade to 300 billion dollars. In this regard, we are actively working to implement the Russian-Chinese Economic Cooperation Plan until 2030," Dmitry Volvach emphasized.
In recent years, Russian-Chinese cooperation has reached a new level, thanks to the large-scale implementation of infrastructure projects, especially in the energy and transport and logistics sectors. Among the largest infrastructure projects of Russia and China, the Deputy Minister named the construction of two gas complexes in the village of Ust-Luga in the Leningrad Region, which will produce up to 144 million tons of liquefied natural gas by 2035. More than 120 cooperation agreements have been concluded between Russian regions and Chinese provinces. In 2024, 311 joint events were held, and in 2025 – already 96. A list of 86 joint projects worth $ 201 billion has been approved. Among the key ones are the creation of the Bely Rast terminal and logistics complex in the Moscow Region and the development of the Dry Port in the Sverdlovsk Region.
The Deputy Minister emphasized the great tourism potential of Russia and China. In the first quarter of 2025, the total tourist flow increased by 20%. To further increase it, the visa regime is being simplified: it is planned to increase the period of stay with an electronic visa from 16 to 30 days. Work is also underway to reduce the minimum composition of a tourist group from five to three people and increase the visa-free period from 15 to 21 days.
Russia is actively promoting tourism products under the Discover Russia brand, and the restoration of air traffic is contributing to the growth of passenger traffic. “We are confident that in the near future we will reach pre-pandemic indicators and reach new heights,” Dmitry Volvach emphasized.
The world's first cross-border cable car between Khabarovsk and Heihe, which will open in 2026, will also be a significant infrastructure project. Zhang Hanhui, Ambassador of the People's Republic of China to Russia, in his welcoming address to the forum participants, noted: "In recent years, the mechanism of cooperation between the regions of Russia and China has been continuously improved. Recently, the fifth meeting of the Yangtze-Volga Regional Cooperation Council and the meeting of the co-chairs of the Intergovernmental Commission on Cooperation between Northeast China and the Russian Far East were successfully held in Russia. Exchanges between regional delegations of the two countries have become closer, and interaction between enterprises is developing according to the principle of "mutual striving to meet halfway."
The forum was also attended by Deputy Governor of the Sverdlovsk Region Vasily Kozlov, Vice Governor of Heilongjiang Province Han Shengjian, Minister of Industry and Trade of the Republic of Tatarstan Oleg Korobchenko, Deputy Secretary General of the People's Government of Liaoning Province Sun Wei, Deputy Governor of the Tomsk Region Vasily Potemkin, President of OPORA RUSSIA Alexander Kalinin and Vice President of Xuanyuan Corporation Jiao Jian.
"We expect that joint work within the Forum and other events of the EXPO business program will contribute to the accelerated development of interregional cooperation between Russia and China, because interregional cooperation is the basis for further development of mutual trade, entails mutual cooperation in the market of production, investment and tourism resources. Together, we continue to do one big thing – we strive to create all the necessary conditions for the formation of a fair and multipolar world order, strengthening stability and security," Dmitry Volvach summed up.
Representatives of 35 Russian regions and over 300 Chinese companies took part in the forum. Businessmen and heads of government bodies from 18 Chinese provinces arrived in Russia.
The EXPO business program included discussions on issues of scientific and technical sphere, trade and investment, support of export and urban environment, development of medicine, as well as youth business cooperation. During the INNOPROM exhibition, a contact exchange on key areas of cooperation was held.
The INNOPROM exhibition was attended by delegations of business circles and government bodies from more than 50 countries. National expositions were presented by Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, China, India and others.
Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source of the information. It is an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.
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