Русский
Between January and August 2026, rail freight between Russia and China hit 130.2 million tonnes, a rise of 5.4 percent compared with the same period last year. At the same time, container shipments increased 12.8 percent, reaching 2.4 million twenty-foot equivalent units.
Exports from Russia to China came to 113.5 million tonnes, a 3.7 per cent increase over the same period last year. A closer look at export goods shows hard coal shipments up 6.1 percent to 71.7 million tonnes, crude oil up 4.3 percent to 8.8 million tonnes, and fertilizers up 8.4 percent to 4.1 million tonnes. Meanwhile, iron ore shipments fell 1.6 per cent to 10.5 million tonnes.
Imports from China into Russia grew even quicker, reaching 16.7 million tonnes, up 18.3 per cent from last year. Among imported goods, chemical deliveries rose 17.4 per cent to 3.4 million tonnes, while manufactured items climbed 23.3 per cent to 2.4 million tonnes. Motor vehicles and auto parts grew fast, up 55.6 percent to 1.5 million tonnes.
Most freight between Russia and China went through seaports, at 92 million tonnes, up 9 percent from last year. Land border crossings handled 38.2 million tonnes, with volumes down 2.6 per cent. Zabaikalsk was the busiest land crossing, moving 16 million tonnes in both directions, up 5.2 per cent from earlier periods. Container traffic through this crossing rose 27.6 percent to 414 thousand twenty-foot equivalent units. Among port railway stations, Vanino moved the most freight at 18.9 million tonnes, up 21.9 per cent, while Nakhodka Vostochnaya reached 18.2 million tonnes, an increase of 36.2 per cent.
