The mindset of Russia's Far East has truly changed this time. In the past, there was some degree of caution toward China, but now cross-border transportation connections are being pursued with increasing initiative. Recently, Governor Orlov of Amur Oblast revealed that the region is planning to build two new railway bridges across the Heilongjiang River. You heard that right—two bridges.

Currently, there is only one railway bridge at Tongjiang and one highway bridge across the Heilongjiang River between China and Russia. Now, Russia is proposing to add two more railway bridges. One will be built adjacent to the existing highway bridge, while the other will head toward Moxi, directly linking to the Trans-Siberian Railway mainline. Adding to this, last year President Putin personally approved the construction of a new highway bridge next to the Tongjiang railway bridge. Thus, Russia has so far planned for at least three new bridges.

In the past, this would have been unimaginable. China first proposed the idea of building a bridge as early as the late 1980s; an agreement was signed in 1995. However, due to Russia’s economic turmoil and unnecessary anxiety, the project was delayed for nearly two decades. It wasn’t until around 2016 that construction began. On the Russian side, delays in funding and infrastructure development hindered progress, leaving the project incomplete for years. It was only after Western sanctions intensified fully in 2022 that both bridges were rapidly completed and opened within the same year.

Back then, it was reactive. Now, it’s proactive. The reason for this shift in mindset is straightforward: the Far East has genuinely benefited from China’s economic boom. Over recent years, the region’s GDP growth has consistently outpaced the national average. A prime example is the Jewish Autonomous Oblast, which saw a significant boost in economic momentum thanks to the Tongjiang railway bridge—the region recorded impressive GDP growth last year, accompanied by a surge in fixed asset investment. The governor personally told Putin that cross-border transport corridors are the lifeline for local economic recovery.

A single bridge can ignite an entire region’s economy. This demonstrative effect has made Amur Oblast extremely eager, naturally driving them to aggressively push forward new projects.

Even more crucially, the benefits are evolving—from simply transporting goods to actual industrial localization. After the Heilongjiang highway bridge began operating actively, Russia started exporting large volumes of liquefied natural gas and helium to China. The convenience of export has, in turn, spurred domestic processing industries, leading to the establishment of natural gas chemical plants, oil extraction facilities, and polymer processing enterprises throughout the Far East. China isn’t just buying raw resources—it’s also bringing technology and production capacity to help upgrade the Far East’s industrial base.

From dragging its feet and hesitating in the past, to today’s governors competing to plan projects and the president personally overseeing progress, the current infrastructure boom in the Far East stems from strategic clarity born of tangible gains. Opening up transport channels to China is no longer just about coping with sanctions—it’s about firmly seizing the fast-moving train of China’s development.

Original article: toutiao.com/article/1874104659896519/

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author.