Русский
The redevelopment of Big Ussuri Island, including the opening of a new Russia-China border crossing, is stimulating billions of rubles of investment into the area, according to the Khabarovsk Minister of Economic Development, Viktor Kalashnikov.
Bolshoi (Big) Ussuri Island is on the Amur River, along the border between Russia and China. The Russian part of the island is within the Khabarovsk city limits. The area was disputed territory until 2004, when Russia and China agreed to settle all border regions. Big Ussuri Island, which is a sedimentary block in the middle of the Amur (Black Dragon) River, has an area of about 350 sq.km, of which 180 sq.km is Russian territory and 170 sq.km Chinese. Both Russian and Chinese ships have navigation rights along the Amur.
Since 2024, Russia and China have been actively discussing the creation of a new vehicle border crossing checkpoint on the island. According to existing plans, construction should begin early next year in order to put the border crossing into operation in 2027. The new crossing will be able to handle over 1.3 million tonnes of cargo per year.
Several projects, taking advantage of the new border crossing with China are to be built, with an estimated value of ₽100 billion (US$1.1 billion).
Kalashnikov said that “We have started the active phase of construction of a cargo and passenger checkpoint on Bolshoy Ussuriysky Island. The development of logistics complexes, including the creation of “dry” ports in conjunction with the opening of a checkpoint, will make it possible to realize the export potential, and increase the regions transit potential. The transport and border infrastructure can also be used by other regions of Russia to export their own products to the Asia-Pacific region. Investment projects directly gravitating towards the checkpoint include 19 projects with investments of more than ₽100 billion.” He specified that these are mainly projects in logistics, tourism and hotel construction.
The island is also intended to become a platform for the ‘International Territory of Advanced Development’ (ITAD), which is scheduled to start development in 2025. The ITAD is a type of Free Trade and Development Zone, which offers favourable tax and customs conditions for the implementation of joint projects with foreign partners and is specifically targeted at the production of products with high added value. It is expected that Chinese investors will be the main foreign partners in the ITAD.
Khabarovsk
Big Ussuri Island is connected on the Russian side with the city of Khabarovsk, which in turn is the largest city in the Russian Far East with a population of about 670,000. It is on the Trans-Siberian railway, the Trans-Siberian Highway, and has major River Ports and air connectivity throughout Russia, China, and Central and East Asia. Its main industries are iron processing, steel milling, shipbuilding, machinery and light industry manufacturing, petroleum refining, flour milling, pharmaceuticals, and packaging.
Jiamusi
On the Chinese side, the nearest large city is Jiamusi, a major transit port and distribution centre of goods, serving as the economic hub of China’s eastern Heilongjiang province. It has a population of about 2.2 million. A new high-speed railway, the Jiamusi-Mudanjiang high-speed railway line, connects directly with Harbin, Dalian, Shijiazhuang and other cities. Jiamusi Airport also operates regular flights to Beijing, Dalian, Shanghai, Qingdao, Guangzhou, Sanya and Khabarovsk.
Jiamusi is connected to Khabarovsk by the downstream Songhua River, which flows south from the Amur. Jiamusi port provides seasonal cargo and passenger services, sailing up the Songhua River to Qiqihar, Harbin and Tongjiang as well as to Khabarovsk. The road distance between Khabarovsk and Jiamusi is 502 km.
Jiamusi is an agricultural production hub, while heavy industry and light industry also make significant parts of the city’s total gross industrial output. This also includes electricity production and supply, construction materials, chemicals and agricultural products processing, while major agricultural industrial products include edible oils, fertilizer and feed.
Other important Chinese cities in the vicinity of Khabarovsk include Shuangyashan, and the Heilongjiang regional capital, Harbin.
Further Reading
Chinese MNC To Invest US$110.5 Million into Amur Industrial Park
