Primorsky Krai – China Freight Vehicle Crossings Near North Korea Increase 45% In 2025

There has been a significant increase in cargo and passenger flows at the Kraskino checkpoint on the border of Primorsky Krai with China, according to FGKU Rosgranstroy, the government agency that monitors cross-border vehicle traffic. Compared to 2024, the number of vehicles crossing at Kraskino increased by 45% in the January-May period. This included 19,000 trucks, 6,000 buses and 187,000 individuals who crossed from Russia into China, entering the country at Hunchun, in Jilin Province.

Kraskino and Hunchun are also close to the border with North Korea, meaning both locations have manufacturing and processing industries and industrial zones that also service North Korean imports and exports. The focus is on sea food processing, electronic product manufacture, bio-pharmacy, textile industry and other industries. Hunchun is connected to the Chinese national rail network with the nearest major city being Shenyang, an industrial hub. Kraskino is connected by road to Vladivostok but this is also about to be upgraded to rail when the North Korean railway connects with Russian rail in the coming weeks. Hunchun is also opposite the large North Korean Rason Special Economic Zone that produces North Korean products for export.

In addition, expansion work is also underway at the checkpoint, which should be completed by the end of this year and will further increase the carrying capacity at Kraskino. That is designed to increase cross-border capacity to 750 vehicles per day from the current 160 and includes 16 lanes for their passage.

Similar work is being conducted at all other Primorsky Krai border crossings into China, including the Zabaikalsk checkpoint opposite Manzhouli between the Trans-Baikal and Inner Mongolia.

Last week, Alexander Osipov, Governor of the Transbaikalia region, announced plans to build a multifunctional complex called “Eastern Gate of Transbaikalia – Manchuria” in the region by 2030. The complex is planned to serve as a logistics hub that will unlock the transport potential of Transbaikalia and take economic partnership with Manchuria (Northeast China) to a new level. The complex is expected to increase the efficiency of cargo transit between Russia and China, increase the throughput capacity of the border crossing, and attract investment in Transbaikalia’s industrial and agro-industrial sectors.