Russia and China have finished building and opened up a cross-border bridge that they stated in February will bring the two countries closer together in their "no limits' partnership, before Russian President Vladimir Putin began his invasion of Ukraine.
The bridge, which is a little over half a mile in length and costs about $342 million has two lanes and links Russia's Blagoveshchensk city to the Chinese city of Heihe together across the Amur river (also called Heilongjiang river in China) according to Russian state news agency RIA Novosti.
In February, Russia said that the bridge, which had been started in 2016 and completed in May of 2020 would bring both China and Russia closer together by increasing trade. The construction had been delayed by COVID-19 restrictions, however, according to BTS-MOST, which is the construction firm that participated in building the bridge on the Russian side.
Deputy prime minister of Russia Yuri Trutnev said "In today's divided world, the Blagoveshchensk-Heihe bridge between Russia and China carries a special symbolic meaning".
During the opening ceremony for the bridge, Chinese Vice Premier Hu Chunhua said that China seeks to deepen practical cooperation with Russia in all areas, while Russia's Transport Minister Vitaly Savelyev said that the bridge will boost bilateral annual trade to over 1 million tons of goods.
According to BTS-MOST, the bridge should shorten the distance that Chinese goods have to travel to get to Russia by about 1,500 kilometers (930 miles). Vehicles traveling across the bridge have to pay a toll fee of 8,700 rubles ($150) but the fee should go down in price after the costs for constructing the bridge have been covered, according to the Jerusalem Post.
The bridge, which is a little over half a mile in length and costs about $342 million has two lanes and links Russia's Blagoveshchensk city to the Chinese city of Heihe together across the Amur river (also called Heilongjiang river in China) according to Russian state news agency RIA Novosti.
In February, Russia said that the bridge, which had been started in 2016 and completed in May of 2020 would bring both China and Russia closer together by increasing trade. The construction had been delayed by COVID-19 restrictions, however, according to BTS-MOST, which is the construction firm that participated in building the bridge on the Russian side.
Deputy prime minister of Russia Yuri Trutnev said "In today's divided world, the Blagoveshchensk-Heihe bridge between Russia and China carries a special symbolic meaning".
During the opening ceremony for the bridge, Chinese Vice Premier Hu Chunhua said that China seeks to deepen practical cooperation with Russia in all areas, while Russia's Transport Minister Vitaly Savelyev said that the bridge will boost bilateral annual trade to over 1 million tons of goods.
According to BTS-MOST, the bridge should shorten the distance that Chinese goods have to travel to get to Russia by about 1,500 kilometers (930 miles). Vehicles traveling across the bridge have to pay a toll fee of 8,700 rubles ($150) but the fee should go down in price after the costs for constructing the bridge have been covered, according to the Jerusalem Post.