Reference News Network, July 30 report: The U.S. "New York Times" website published an article titled "How a Chinese Border Town Brings Vitality to the Russian Economy" on July 24. The reporter is Keith Bradsher. The following is the translated version of the report:

Trains loaded with Siberian timber cross the China-Russia border, and these woods will be cut and polished into furniture parts and chopsticks. At the same time, trucks carrying Russian rapeseed wait to be pressed into canola oil. In a spacious used car showroom, Russian customers are selecting used cars to transport back to their hometowns.

From Manzhouli, the main border crossing between China and Russia, it can be seen that the two countries' economies are increasingly intertwined. China is an important buyer of Russian oil, timber, and coal, and the trade volume between the two countries exceeded $240 billion last year.

For a long time, a considerable portion of Sino-Russian trade has been conducted through Manzhouli. A railway line passing through this city into China's northeast was built at the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century. Now, trains and trucks from Russia cross here into China, many of which carry logs or freshly sawn planks: pine wood for construction and furniture, birch for chopsticks, and aspen for concrete frames.

This kind of trade cooperation is also evident in other areas. The shelves of supermarkets in Manzhouli intuitively reflect this relationship. Here, "Stalin" brand wine and vodka are available in abundance, and there are even shops specializing in selling Russian matryoshka dolls and other specialty goods.

This new close relationship has further promoted changes in the relationship between the two countries. In the 1950s, Soviet experts helped China, which was mainly agricultural at the time, to build a series of steel mills, railways, and military factories. Today, China produces nearly 32% of the world's products, exceeding the total of the United States, Japan, Germany, South Korea, and the United Kingdom combined.

China also benefits from this trade. By purchasing timber and other goods from Russia through Manzhouli, China is able to reduce its purchases of certain goods from the United States and its allies.

In Xinfeng Oil and Grain Industry Co., Ltd. in Manzhouli, red forklifts move back and forth, transporting bags of raw materials. This highly automated factory is busy dehulling and pressing Russian rapeseed into canola oil.

The general manager of a nearby wood processing plant said that his company purchases large quantities of timber from the neighboring Siberia and processes them into bed slats and other furniture parts. (Translated by Lu Di)

Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7532691621801099791/

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