100 https://journals.urfu.ru/index.php/r-economy R-ECONOMY, 2020, 6(2), 100–110 doi: 10.15826/recon.2020.6.2.009 Online ISSN 2412-0731 Original Paper © Chen, Q., 2020 doi 10.15826/recon.2020.6.2.009 Chinese and Russian transport corridors and the belt and road initiative: prospects of Sino-Russian cooperation Q. Chen Institute of Russia, Harbin Academy of Social Sciences of Heilongjiang Province, China; e-mail: 284748191@qq.com ABSTRACT Relevance. The article discusses mutually beneficial cooperation between Rus- sia and China within the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative and the role of Russia as a key link between China and the Eurasian Economic Union. The relevance of the study is determined by the need for a comprehensive ana- lysis of the current state of transport cooperation between the countries with shared borders (Russia and China) and on a more global level. It is especially important to identify the priority areas of intergovernmental cooperation in the transportation sphere. Research objective. The study is aimed at evalua- ting the prospects of Sino-Russian transport cooperation in connection with the Belt and Road Initiative. Data and methods. For comparative analysis, we use qualitative and quantitative indicators to consider the current state of Si- no-Russian cooperation. Our research draws from the official statistical data of Russia and China and from the findings of the previous studies. Results. The research has shown that there is a steady trend for integration of Russian and Chinese crossborder infrastructure. In particular, the Economic Corridor China-Mongolia-Russia relies on the expansion and modernization of the rail- way and highway infrastructure. Conclusions. The connection of the Belt and Road Initiative with the Eurasian Economic Union will contribute to transport cooperation between China and Russia. Sino-Russian transport cooperation will develop not only on the state level but also on regional and local levels. The Belt and Road Initiative will enable Russia and China unite their transport infrastructure into a single network. Apart from the transport infrastructure, Sino-Russian cooperation also encompasses other aspects, such as training of specialists in logistics and transportation technologies. KEYWORDS crossborder infrastructure, Belt and Road Initiative, container trains, Economic Corridor China-Mongolia-Russia, transport corridor, transport infrastructure, Eurasian Economic Union Китайский и российский транспортные коридоры и инициатива «Один пояс – один путь»: перспективы китайско-российского сотрудничества Ц. Чень Институт России Академии общественных наук провинции Хэйлунцзян, Харбин, Китай; e-mail: 284748191@qq.com АННОТАЦИЯ Актуальность. В статье рассматривается взаимовыгодное сотрудничество между Россией и Китаем в рамках инициативы «Один пояс – один путь» и роль России как ключевого звена между Китаем и Евразийским эконо- мическим союзом. Актуальность исследования определяется необходимо- стью всестороннего анализа текущего состояния транспортного сотрудни- чества между странами с общими границами (Россия и Китай) и прочими задействованными странами. Особенно важно определить приоритетные направления межгосударственного сотрудничества в транспортной сфе- ре. Цель исследования. Цель исследования – оценить перспективы китай- ско-российского транспортного сотрудничества в связи с инициативой «Один пояс – один путь» Данные и методы. Для сравнительного анализа мы используем качественные и количественные показатели, чтобы рас- смотреть текущее состояние китайско-российского сотрудничества. Наши исследования основаны на официальных статистических данных России и Китая, а также на результатах предыдущих исследований. Результаты. Ис- следование показало, что существует устойчивая тенденция к интеграции российской и китайской трансграничной инфраструктуры. В частности, КЛЮЧЕВЫЕ СЛОВА трансграничная инфраструктура, инициатива «Один пояс – один путь», контейнерные поезда, экономический коридор Китай-Монголия-Россия, транспортный коридор, транспортная инфраструктура, Евразийский экономический союз FOR CITATION Chen, Q. (2020) Chinese and Russian transport corridors and the belt and road initiative: prospects of Sino-Russian cooperation. R-economy, 6(2), 100–110. doi: 10.15826/ recon.2020.6.2.009 http://dx.doi.org/10.15826/recon.2020.6.2.009 http://dx.doi.org/10.15826/recon.2020.6.2.009 R-ECONOMY, 2020, 6(2), 100–110 doi: 10.15826/recon.2020.6.2.009 101 https://journals.urfu.ru/index.php/r-economy Online ISSN 2412-0731 экономический коридор Китай-Монголия-Россия опирается на расшире- ние и модернизацию железнодорожной и автодорожной инфраструктуры. Выводы. Связь инициативы «Один пояс – один путь» с Евразийским эко- номическим союзом будет способствовать транспортному сотрудничеству между Китаем и Россией. Российско-китайское транспортное сотрудниче- ство будет развиваться не только на государственном, но и на региональ- ном и местном уровнях. Инициатива «Один пояс – один путь» позволит России и Китаю объединить свою транспортную инфраструктуру в еди- ную сеть. Помимо транспортной инфраструктуры, китайско-российское сотрудничество охватывает и другие аспекты, такие как подготовка специ- алистов в области логистики и транспортных технологий. ДЛЯ ЦИТИРОВАНИЯ Chen, Q. (2020) Chinese and Russian transport corridors and the belt and road initiative: prospects of Sino-Russian cooperation. R-economy, 6(2), 100–110. doi: 10.15826/ recon.2020.6.2.009 Introduction The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is a new strategy of China implemented within the coun- try’s more general ‘opening-up’ policy (Kong, Swallow, & Thomson, 2020). The Eurasian Eco- nomic Union (EAEU) is an international organi- zation comprising post-Soviet countries such as Russia, Kazakhstan, Belarus, Armenia and Kyr- gyzstan. Russia is the driving force behind the EAEU, especially the organization’s strategic de- cision-making. The priority goal of the EAEU is to lift the tariff barriers for the member states and create a single economic space, thus increasing the trade turnover between the members (Lukin, 2020). It is planned to connect the space created within the EAEU borders with the space covered by the BRI, which is what makes the EAEU so at- tractive for China. The BRI in fact is a mechanism of mutually beneficial international cooperation. In May 2015, China and Russia signed the Joint Declaration on Cooperation in Coordinat- ing the Development of the Eurasian Econom- ic Union and the Silk Road Economic Belt. In May 2018, China and the EAEU signed the agreement on trade and economic cooperation, emphasizing the connection of the BRI with the EAEU as one of its priority areas. Connection of the BRI with the EAEU means that the countries involved in both of these projects will be working together to ensure the economic development, prosperity and stability in Eurasia (Mekhdiev, et al., 2019). This study is aimed at evaluating the pros- pects of Sino-Russian transport cooperation in its connection with the BRI. This aim determined more specific objectives of our research. First, we are going to consider the results of Sino-Russian cooperation in the sphere of transportation. Sec- ond, we are going to describe priority areas of their cooperation in connection to the plans to in- tegrate the BRI with that the EAEU. Third, we are going to consider the results and prospects of Si- no-Russian cooperation within the framework of the Economic Corridor China-Mongolia-Russia. Finally, we are going to draw conclusions about the current state and prospects of Sino-Russian cooperation in the light of global integration pro- cesses. Theoretical framework and methodology This study relies on the method of compara- tive analysis. To analyze the similarities and dif- ferences in Russian and Chinese approaches to transport cooperation, we use quantitative and qualitative indicators. There is vast research literature on this ques- tion. Li (2019) discusses the creation of a railway transport corridor between north-eastern prov- inces of China and Russia’s Far East. Sazonov & Xiao (2018) point out that the integration of the Chinese-Russian crossborder freight transpor- tation network is crucial for integration of the Asia-Pacific region and conclude that develop- ment of the transport system will have a multipli- er effect for all the stakeholders. Problems of transport corridors between Rus- sia and China are discussed by Nan et al. (2017) and Yunhao (2015), who raise the question of uneven distribution of crossborder corridors for freight traffic. Moreover, they consider the prob- lems arising from the fact that Russia is lagging behind China in terms of logistics infrastructure. Yunhao (2015) discusses the role of the Trans-Si- berian Railway in creating the international transport corridor and points out that the main challenge in this process is the state of the infra- structure at the railway border crossings, especial- ly the Russian ones connected with the Trans-Si- berian Railway. Careful planning of the routes could enhance the capacity of the trade corridors. Diayu (2017), Balakin (2012) and Labyuk (2016) consider China’s participation in interna- tional Arctic projects, including the Northern Sea Route. These authors agree that China seeks to gain a more solid footing in the Arctic even though http://dx.doi.org/10.15826/recon.2020.6.2.009 102 https://journals.urfu.ru/index.php/r-economy R-ECONOMY, 2020, 6(2), 100–110 doi: 10.15826/recon.2020.6.2.009 Online ISSN 2412-0731 it is not an Arctic state. No satisfactory solution, however, has so far been found to the problem of the conflict of interests between China and other countries. Mei (2019), for example, contends that China should take a part in the administration of the Northern Sea Route by ensuring environmen- tal protection in the area, which is in the interests of Russia and China and is in compliance with the Law of the Sea Convention. Xin (2018) focuses on waterborne freight transportation between Russia and China and analyzes the real cases of conflicts arising between the two countries, which leads him to suggest that specific rules of freight trans- portation should be agreed upon. Much attention is given to the problems as- sociated with infrastructure construction and economic development of crossborder points in Russia and China. Shuan et al. (2017) discuss the economic and social aspects and problems of Chinese and Russian border regions. Pin (2015) considers the current state and prospects of de- velopment of crossborder points in Heilongjiang province and shows that intensification of inte- gration processes will have a positive effect on the development of border regions both in China and in Russia. Yi (2017) suggested creating a cluster of crossborder points to take a full advantage of the strengths of different points and stimulate eco- nomic development in Russian and Chinese bor- der regions. Studies of Sino-Russian crossborder cooperation describe different alternatives of its further development. Although the above-discussed studies pro- vide significant evidence, they mostly highlight separate aspects without giving the full picture of Sino-Russian cooperation. This study applies a more comprehensive approach by taking into account various factors to evaluate the prospects of Sino-Russian transport cooperation in connec- tion with the Belt and Road Initiative. Results and discussion Sino-Russian cooperation in the sphere of international transport corridors: current stage In recent years, transport cooperation be- tween Russian and China has been actively de- veloping. The BRI opens new opportunities for cooperation, especially in the light of the future connection of this initiative with that of the EAEU (Wang, Lim, Zhang, Zhao, & Lee, 2020). At this stage, the following tasks related to the construc- tion of China-Russia transport corridors need to be addressed: first, construct the transport infra- structure; second, develop the already existing cargo routes and open new ones; and, finally, ex- pansion of the two-way transport corridors, turn- ing them into three-way and multi-way transport corridors. Let us consider each of these tasks in more detail. The first task is the construction of the transport infrastructure. China and Russia share a long land border. The success of their plans largely depends on whether both countries will be able to elabo- rate concerted approaches and effective solutions. By connecting the BRI with the EAEU, Russia and China will be able to ensure a stable progress in the construction of their crossborder infrastruc- ture. Geographically, China-Russia transport cor- ridors can be divided into the transport corridors across the Amur river and the transport corridors connecting China with Russia’s Far East.The for- mer include bridges and a cross border cableway. The idea to build a bridge across the Amur between Blagoveshchensk and Heihe started to be discussed as early as in 1995 but officially its construction was launched only in December 2016. Thus, it can be said that the BRI was a ma- jor driving force behind this project. This is the first cable-stayed bridge built in a cold, high-alti- tude region of China; it is also the first Sino-Rus- sian crossborder highway bridge across the Amur. Russia and China connected their sides of the bridge in May 2019. It was expected that by 2020, the passenger traffic between the two ci- ties would reach 1.4 mln people while the cargo traffic would be up to 3 mln tons1. In 2019, the customs in Heihe registered the volume of cargo traffic at the level of 743 thousand tons, which is 28.3% higher than in 20182. The number of people going through the border checkpoints in Heihe exceeded 1 million3. After the bridge is fully completed, it will ensure uninterrupted all- year transport connection between Blagovesh- chensk and Heihe. Construction of the cableway across the Amur between Heihe and Blagoveshchensk star- ted in July 2019. It was the first crossborder cable- 1 https://www.sohu.com/a/319391405_120051348 (date of access: 23.05.2020) 2 h t t p s : / / w w w. t h e p a p e r . c n / n e w s D e t a i l _ f o r - ward_5577445 (date of access: 23.05.2020) 3 h t t p : / / w w w . h l j . x i n h u a n e t . c o m / k l - j/2019-12/21/c_138648134.htm (date of access: 23.05.2020) http://dx.doi.org/10.15826/recon.2020.6.2.009 https://www.sohu.com/a/319391405_120051348 https://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_5577445 https://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_5577445 http://www.hlj.xinhuanet.com/klj/2019-12/21/c_138648134.htm http://www.hlj.xinhuanet.com/klj/2019-12/21/c_138648134.htm R-ECONOMY, 2020, 6(2), 100–110 doi: 10.15826/recon.2020.6.2.009 103 https://journals.urfu.ru/index.php/r-economy Online ISSN 2412-0731 way between Russia and China. It is planned that the total length of the cableway will be 972 meters while its estimated capacity will be 6 million peo- ple a year. The cableway will be put in commission in the second half of 2022, which will stimulate tourism between the two countries4. A trip from Heihe to Blagoveshchensk will take no more than 10 minutes. It is predicted that after the cableway is completed, there will be a rise in the number of tourists travelling between the twin cities but also between province Heilongjiang and Amur region. The operation of the cableway does not depend on climatic or seasonal conditions, which means that it can be effective in attracting larger num- bers of tourists throughout the year. It should be noted that currently the connection between Bla- goveshchensk and Heihe is provided in summer by motor ships sailing along the Amur River and in winter, by a pontoon bridge for cargo and pas- senger bus transportation. Construction of transport corridors across the Amur is a major step in crossborder infra- structure development. The crossborder network between Russia and China helps the partner coun- tries create a new international transport corridor 4 https://rg.ru/2019/11/04/rossiiu-i-kitaj-sviazhet-uni- kalnaia-kanatnaia-doroga.html (date of access: 24.05.2020) and enables the exchange of specialists and goods (Ryzhova & Ioffe, 2009). In the Far East, there are two major proj- ects – international transport corridors ‘Pri- morye-1’ and ‘Primorye-2’, which are a part of the BRI. They are also crucial for the cooperation between the north-eastern provinces of Chi- na and Russia’s Far East. On 4 July 2017, China and Russia signed the Memorandum of Coop- eration for the Development of Primorye 1 and Primorye 2 International Transport Corridors (Fig. 1, 2). Corridors ‘Primorye-1’ and ‘Primo- rye-2’ go through the centre of the Far Eastern Advanced Development Zone of Russia – the free port of Vladivostok, which means that there are 24/7 single window checkpoints available with the single window system, that is, all do- cuments are submitted through a single entry point. Traders can submit documents for ship- ping goods from China to Russia only once when they cross the Chinese border and there is no need to submit a similar set of documents at the Russian border as Russian customs authorities get access to these documents automatically. It is also planned to introduce an electronic customs declaration system and apply the ‘green corridor’ principle for smoother border processing. Figure 1. Transport corridor ‘Primorye -1’ Source: Administration of Primorye Region http://dx.doi.org/10.15826/recon.2020.6.2.009 https://rg.ru/2019/11/04/rossiiu-i-kitaj-sviazhet-unikalnaia-kanatnaia-doroga.html https://rg.ru/2019/11/04/rossiiu-i-kitaj-sviazhet-unikalnaia-kanatnaia-doroga.html 104 https://journals.urfu.ru/index.php/r-economy R-ECONOMY, 2020, 6(2), 100–110 doi: 10.15826/recon.2020.6.2.009 Online ISSN 2412-0731 Provinces Heilongjiang and Jilin, which play a key role in Sino-Russian cooperation, are located more than 1,000 km inland from the sea, which increases the logistics costs. Freight routes ‘Pri- morye-1’ and ‘Primorye-2’ can connect the two provinces with the sea and thus cut the distance of land transportation by 200-500 km, reducing the costs by 10-40%. In the last two years, the volume of freight traffic along ‘Primorye-1’ corridor has grown 1.8 times – from 2,138 to 3.934 in twen- ty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) – and along ‘Pri- morye-2’, up to 2,145 TEUs5. Second task: development of the already ex- isting cargo routes and opening of new ones. The BRI and EAEU integration sets the bar high for the crossborder logistics network. Both China and Russia are interested in improving the already existing logistics channels and creating new ones. There are over 40 freight shipping routes be- tween Heilongjiang province and Russian border regions (Bardal, 2014). Harbin is the capital of Heilongjiang province and is crucial to China’s in- teractions with Russia. There is an international cargo route connecting Harbin with Europe (Tjia, 5 https://www.primorsky.ru/news/164469/ (date of ac- cess: 25.05.2020) 2020) launched in June 2015, with trains running once a week. Currently container trains arrive from China in Małaszewicze (Poland), Hamburg and Duisburg (Germany), Zeebrugge (Belgium), and Minsk (Belarus). These are among the main international logistics routes created by Heilon- gjiang province as a part of the BRI. As of August 2019, on Harbin-Europe route, container trains had made 882 journeys and delivered 51,488 TEUs worth 2 billion US dollars6. The route was largely intended for exporting Volvo automobiles, high-tech products, textiles and goods of prime necessity from China to Europe and for importing from Europe spare car parts, high-quality goods of prime necessity and timber. Since the railway connection between Harbin and Europe prima- rily stimulates the development of automotive in- dustry, these trains are commonly referred to as ‘car trains’. Apart from Harbin-Europe trains, in June 2016, the railway between Harbin and Russia was put in commission. In 2019, lines from Har- 6 哈俄班列增开新线路（梅尔基-绥芬河-哈尔滨）顺 利开通，生活报，2019-08-13 (The new railway line 'Mylki -Suifenhe - Harbin' was opened for container trains running between Russia and Harbin, Life Daily, 2019-08-13) Figure 2. Transport corridor ‘Primorye -2’ Source: Administration of Khabarovsk Region http://dx.doi.org/10.15826/recon.2020.6.2.009 https://www.primorsky.ru/news/164469/ R-ECONOMY, 2020, 6(2), 100–110 doi: 10.15826/recon.2020.6.2.009 105 https://journals.urfu.ru/index.php/r-economy Online ISSN 2412-0731 bin to Ekaterinburg and Biklyan were opened. In the same year, a new container train line ‘Myl- ki-Suifenhe-Harbin’ was launched. This line spe- cializes on the import of lumber and woodpulp products to China. For more detailed information on Harbin-Russia trains, see Table 1 below. Table 1 Harbin-Russia container trains Dis- patch station Ter- minal station Date of the first depar- ture Goods shipped via first train, in mln US dollars* Intermedi- ate stations Trans- ported goods Harbin Ekate- rinburg 12 March 2016 10 Manzhouli, Novosi- birsk, Perm Spare car parts Harbin Biklyan 11 May 2019 7.5 Manzhouli, Zabaikalsk, Irkutsk Ma- chinery and equip- ment Mylki Harbin 13 August 2019 0.1 Khabarovsk, Suifenhe Lum- ber and wood- pulp Source: compiled by the author based on materials http:// hlj.people.com.cn * http://hlj.people.com.cn/n2/2016/0312/c220027- 27919303.html (date of access: 25.05.2020); https://www. sohu.com/a/313335250_99960365 (date of access: 25.05.2020); http://hlj.people.com.cn/n2/2019/0818/c220027-33261006. html (date of access: 25.05.2020) Harbin is an important hub for import of such products as lumber and woodpulp. From Harbin, these products are redistributed to other Chinese cities, which makes it particularly im- portant for Sino-Russian cooperation. After the launch of the railway line between China and Russia, container trains made 352 journeys de- livering 25,150 TEUs worth 400 billion US dol- lars7. The route between Harbin and Russia is one of the most important railway routes connecting Eastern China with Europe. Railway transport provides a regular, non- stop connection between China, Russia and Eu- rope: in comparison with sea transport, railway enjoys a number of advantages, for example, it is independent from weather conditions or seasons, it is secure and there is a low risk of cargo damage. Rail freight transportation is also less costly than air freight. Moreover, the train schedule is also 7 哈俄班列增开新线路（梅尔基-绥芬河-哈尔滨）顺 利开通，生活报，2019-08-13 (The new railway line 'Mylki -Suifenhe - Harbin' was opened for container trains running between Russia and Harbin, Life Daily, 2019-08-13) much more reliable, minimizing the risk of delays in delivery. Normally, the transportation time is measured in hours. In addition, container trains can use a modern information platform to pro- vide full monitoring and management of the ship- ment data, thus enabling the customers to track cargo delivery. Harbin-Europe and Harbin-Russia contain- er trains use the eastern corridors of the railway routes between China and Europe, which were launched in the period when Sino-Russian coop- eration started to develop. Harbin is located in the centre of the international corridor; it is an inter- national logistics centre, which performs a vari- ety of functions such as transportation, storage, customs processing and distribution. The routes Harbin-Europe and Harbin-Russia, together with other routes between Europe and China starting in Guangzhou, Qingdao, Nanjing, Chongqing, Xiamen, and Zhengzhou, form logistics corridors, which play an important role in the Sino-Russian trade and economic cooperation. Third task: expansion of the two-way trans- port corridors, turning them into three-way and multi-way transport corridors. The third task is to involve other countries in Sino-Russian coopera- tion. The international transport corridor ‘Primo- rye-1’ is a part of the BRI. It is a land-sea trans- port corridor connecting North-Eastern Asia and Europe. The China-Mongolia-Russia Economic Corridor has two railway passages in China: one is the Northern Passage, going from Beijing-He- bei through Hohhot to Mongolia and Russia; the other is the Eastern Passage, going from Tianjin through Dalian, Changchun, Harbin, Manzhouli to Russia (Dong et al., 2018). Construction of the China-Mongolia-Russia Economic Corridor re- quires the implementation of more than 10 plans for integrating the infrastructure of the three countries for unobstructed transborder passage, which includes modernization of railway corri- dors (see Fig. 3). A significant event for the China-Mongo- lia-Russia Economic Corridor project happened in July 2019, when the first meeting of the Joint Committee on the Intergovernmental Agreement on the Asian Highway Network was held and the international highway route going through the three countries was declared officially open. The Agreement outlines measures aimed at ensuring smooth development of the corridor, such as con- struction and modernization of the highway in- frastructure in Russia and Mongolia. http://dx.doi.org/10.15826/recon.2020.6.2.009 http://hlj.people.com.cn http://hlj.people.com.cn http://hlj.people.com.cn/n2/2016/0312/c220027-27919303.html http://hlj.people.com.cn/n2/2016/0312/c220027-27919303.html https://www.sohu.com/a/313335250_99960365 https://www.sohu.com/a/313335250_99960365 http://hlj.people.com.cn/n2/2019/0818/c220027-33261006.html http://hlj.people.com.cn/n2/2019/0818/c220027-33261006.html 106 https://journals.urfu.ru/index.php/r-economy R-ECONOMY, 2020, 6(2), 100–110 doi: 10.15826/recon.2020.6.2.009 Online ISSN 2412-0731 Priority areas of Sino-Russian cooperation Integration of the EAEU with the BRI is linked to Russia and China’s efforts to expand their transport cooperation in the three priority areas: 1. Development of Sino-Russian transport cooperation not only on the state level but also on regional and local levels. Russian and Chinese governments attach great significance to integrat- ing the BRI with the Northern Sea Route (NSR) and are going to put their joint effort into using the NSR for building the ‘Ice Silk Road’. In 2013, a state Chinese company received permission from the NSR Administration for three passages, which effectively means the start of commercial trans- portation via the NSR (including container trans- portation). So far, the company has been using two ships in its operations (Бардаль, 2014). This fact demonstrates that in partnership with Russia, China has real opportunities to become an Arctic economic power. As a part of the BRI, the first large-scale projet ‘Yamal LNG’ was launched. This project changed the traditional model of raw material imports to China and created a new model of internation- al cooperation in the energy sphere. On 19 July 2018, two tankers with liquefied natural gas for the first time travelled via the NSR and arrived in China. The voyage took 19 days, which is 16 days less in comparison with the traditional route via the Suez Canal and the Malacca Straits (Zeng, Lu, Lin, Yuen, & Li, 2020). In 2018, the overall cargo volume via the NSR was 18 million tons, which signifies an 80% increase in comparison with 2017 (Иньань, 2019). The Russian government predicts that the cargo volume via the NSR will rise to 51 million tons in 2021 and to 80 million tons in 2024.(Lazarev & Fisenko, 2020). Thus, the Sino-Russian project ‘Yamal -LNG’ laid the foun- dation for joint construction of the ‘Ice Silk Road’. As a result of ‘Yamal-LNG’, there was an in- crease in the imports of natural gas to China (see Table 2). As Table 2 illustrates, since 2018, the amount and value of natural gas imports to China have been growing steadily. In 2018 China became the largest importer of natural gas in the world. Increasing gas consumption changes the whole structure of energy consumption in China, which means that the country is gradually switching to cleaner, low-carbon energy materials. Potentially, this could have a serious impact on the global gas Figure 3. The China-Mongolia-Russia Economic Corridor Source: On-line magazine ‘Zolotaya Orda’ http://zolord.ru http://dx.doi.org/10.15826/recon.2020.6.2.009 http://zolord.ru R-ECONOMY, 2020, 6(2), 100–110 doi: 10.15826/recon.2020.6.2.009 107 https://journals.urfu.ru/index.php/r-economy Online ISSN 2412-0731 trade. Russia is the main supplier of natural gas, which makes energy cooperation crucial for the relationship between the two countries. Table 2 China’s natural gas imports in 2016–2019 Year Amount of natural gas imports (mln tons) Compared with the previous year (%) Value of natural gas imports (mln US dollars Compared with the previous year (%) 2016 54.03 +22.0 16.489 -10.8 2017 68.57 +26.9 23.275 +41.2 2018 90.39 +31.9 34.480 +65.3 2019 96.56 +6.9 41.720 +8.5 Source: https://d.qianzhan.com/xnews/de- tail/541/200324-0fb684fd.html (date of access: 26.05.2020) Apart from the state-level strategic coopera- tion, both countries are committed to developing their cooperation on the regional level. In this case, the north-eastern part of China plays the key role in Sino-Russian cooperation: it has a large num- ber of crossborder passage points , it is located in close geographical proximity to Russia and has a long history of cooperation with Russia’s Far East in such spheres as agriculture, construction, and transport. The north-east of China participates in the ‘Ice Silk Route’ project, which includes plans for establishing sea routes to Vladivostok, Zarubi- no and other ports. Creation of the China-Mon- golia-Russia Economic Corridor will, in its turn, accelerate the revival of China’s north-eastern provinces and development of Russia’s Far East. It is expected that the zone of marginal economy and the zone of resource supply will thus be trans- formed into experimental regions for resource development and creation of economically devel- oped territories. 2. Projects of transport cooperation and in- tegration of Russian and Chinese infrastructure. The transport cooperation projects which have been completed or are being currently implement- ed include construction of an oil pipeline, eastern gas pipeline, railway bridge across the Amur (Hei- he – Blagoveshchensk) and a highway bridge across the Amur (Tongjiang – Nizhneleninskoye). These projects undoubtedly contribute to the develop- ment of transport infrastructure in border regions and may serve as a platform for further economic cooperation between the two countries. Chinese investors, such as state banks, enter- prises and investment funds, show a keen interest in Russian projects associated with transport in- frastructure. It is forecast that in the nearest future Table 3 Chinese investment in transport infrastructural projects in Russia’s Far East Investor Sector Planned and ongoing projects Shangdong Hi-Speed Group Motorways In September 2018, a concession agreement was signed for the construction and operation of the road ‘Khabarovsk Bypass 13 km-42 km’, involving Shangdong Hi- Speed Group as a contractor. The amount of potential investment in Russia in 2019-2020: 10-20 bln rbs China Railway Dong- fang Group Railway transport In April 2018, Far East Investment and Export Agency and China Railway Dongfang Group signed an agreement of intent on financing the feasibility study of the con- struction of a high-speed railroad between Suifenhe and Vladivostok. The cost of the project was estimated as 12 bln US dollars. In August 2018, the Chinese side confirmed the feasibility of the project for the con- struction of the 180 km-long high-speed railroad between Suifenhe and Vladivostok. The amount of potential investment in Russia in 2019-2020: 3–5 bln rbs China Railway Con- struction Corporation Limited (CRCC) Railway transport The memorandum of intent for building the bridge across the Lena was signed in September 2018 The project is worth 80 bln rbs. The amount of potential investment in Russia in 2019-2020: 30–40 bln rbs China Communica- tions Construction Company (CCCC) Motorways, ports The memorandum of cooperation for the development of ‘Primorye 1’ and ‘Primorye 2’ was signed in July 2017. The amount of potential investment in Russia in 2019-2020: 20–40 bln rbs China Investment Corporation (CIC) Railway transport, motorways Construction of the railway bridge across the Amur on the border with China (400 mln US dollars) The amount of potential investment in Russia in 2019–2020: 10–20 bln rbs China Development Bank (CDB) Railway transport, motorways The framework agreement on 8 bln US dollar investment in the Far East and Siberia was signed in 2015 with Vnesheconombank. The amount of potential investment in Russia in 2019–2020: 200 bln rbs China Railway Group (CREC) Railway transport Transport corridors ‘Primorye-1’ and ‘Primorye-2’ The amount of potential investment in Russia in 2019–2020: 40–60 bln rbs Source: compiled by the author based on the analytical review of the independent Russian investment company InfraOne. http://dx.doi.org/10.15826/recon.2020.6.2.009 https://d.qianzhan.com/xnews/detail/541/200324-0fb684fd.html https://d.qianzhan.com/xnews/detail/541/200324-0fb684fd.html 108 https://journals.urfu.ru/index.php/r-economy R-ECONOMY, 2020, 6(2), 100–110 doi: 10.15826/recon.2020.6.2.009 Online ISSN 2412-0731 Chinese investment in such projects will amount to 315–385 billion roubles8. The projects indicated above are by no means the only ones. Table 3 shows the data on investors ready to invest in Russian in- frastructure and the joint projects to be realized in 2019-2020. The table shows only the forecast data as companies do not specify the real amount of in- vestment and the actual time of project completion. Table 3 includes the data on transport infra- structural projects involving Chinese investors in Russia’s Far East. It should be noted, however, that these projects are in different phases. For exam- ple, the construction of the railway bridge across the Amur is nearing completion as the bridge is expected to be put in commission in 2020. China Investment Corporation (CIC) invested 400 bil- lion US dollars in this project. The majority of the above-described projects, however, still remain ink on paper. For instance, China Railway Con- struction Corporation Limited (CRCC), which was interested in constructing a bridge across the Lena near Yakutsk, had to withdraw from the proj- ect due to its high costs and insufficient feasibility. The Russian side, however, has not given up on this project. The draft documents on the transport and financial models have already been devised; the technical and operational evaluation as well as the project’s organizational and legal framework are being prepared. 3. Specialist training and cooperation in the transport sphere. An important aspect of the project to connect the BRI and EAEU is special- ist training, in which transport universities play a key role. Both countries need to modernize their higher education models. Universities have all the necessary resources to create international intellec- tual platforms for R&D and to develop high-quality joint education courses and programs. Russian and Chinese transport universities are ready to offer their students dual diploma programs of the ‘2+3’ model, which means that students will be studying for two years in their home country and then 2–3 years abroad. For example, Emperor Alexander I St. Petersburg State Transport University and Bei- jing Transportation University have been partners since 2014 and since 2016, have been offering a dual diploma program since 2016. Talented Chi- nese graduates can get jobs at the largest transport enterprises in Russia and Russian graduates, in China. In 2015, the Russian-Chinese Transport In- stitute was established. 8 Far East: Infrastructure Investment. Analytical review. Moscow, 2019, pp. 79. Regular Sino-Russian forums, conferences and seminars in the sphere of transport and lo- gistics create opportunities for specialists from both countries to share their experience. The annual forum of rectors of Russian and Chinese transport universities has been held since 2014. In October 2019, Beijing hosted the sixth forum of the Association of Rectors of Transport Universi- ties of Russia and China, which involved rectors from over 60 higher education institutions in both countries. This forum can serve as an example of successful cooperation between the two countries on the state level. Joint education and traineeship programs can help transport engineers from both countries up- grade their professional qualifications. There is ev- ery reason to believe that the hands-on approach to specialist training will enable future transport professionals to connect theoretical knowledge with practical contexts and promote transport co- operation between the two countries in the future. Conclusion China’s fast economic growth stimulated the development of transport infrastructure, which is why it now has the most advanced railway net- work in the world. China is the first in the world in terms of metro construction, high-speed rail- way and bridge building. Apart from the use of cutting-edge technologies and the remarkable speed of construction, China is also known for its financial power. China’s economic and technolo- gical progress opens vast opportunities for trust- based and mutually beneficial cooperation with Russia in the sphere of transportation. This article was aimed at evaluating the pros- pects of Sino-Russian cooperation within the BRI framework. The main results of Sino-Russian partnership in the sphere of transportation are the construction of the bridge and cableway across the Amur and the international projects ‘Primo- rye-1’ and ‘Primorye-2’. These projects enable both countries to significantly expand the po- tential of their transport infrastructure. Since the connection between the two countries is going to become faster and more comfortable, the car- go traffic and the flow of tourists are expected to grow considerably in the nearest future. As for the priority areas in the transport sphere, especially in the context of the integra- tion of the BRI and the EAEU, it should be noted that Chinese investors are showing keen interest in Russian regions. This can be illustrated by the http://dx.doi.org/10.15826/recon.2020.6.2.009 R-ECONOMY, 2020, 6(2), 100–110 doi: 10.15826/recon.2020.6.2.009 109 https://journals.urfu.ru/index.php/r-economy Online ISSN 2412-0731 case of ‘Yamal LNG’ project, which made China the leading world country in terms of natural gas imports. As of today, the majority of investment projects, however, are still a work in progress and require considerable revision in order to become economically feasible. The China-Mongolia-Russia Economic Cor- ridor is of particular interest as this project implies substantial modernization of the existing trans- port infrastructure of Mongolia ad Russia and building new international transport corridors. 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Юи, 501); e-mail: 284748191@qq.com ИНФОРМАЦИЯ О СТАТЬЕ: дата поступления 28 ноября 2019 г.; дата принятия к печати 15 апреля 2020 г. http://dx.doi.org/10.15826/recon.2020.6.2.009 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.tra.2020.02.009 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.tra.2020.02.009 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.tranpol.2019.11.005 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.tranpol.2019.11.005 mailto:284748191@qq.com