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Chinese, Russian cities move closer to visa-free travel
November 13, 2017, 12:21 pm

Both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping have strongly endorsed people exchanges [Xinhua]


Answering the call for greater intercultural exchanges between citizens of BRICS countries at the last Summit in Xiamen, Chinese and Russian cities are examining ways to establish visa-free travel between them.

On Monday, Chinese local media reported that the authorities were looking to scrap visa requirements between the cities of Heihe in northeast China’s Heilongjiang Province and Blagoveshchensk, capital of Russia’s Amur State, which are separated by the Amur or Heilong River.

The new visa-free measure is designed not only to increase exchanges between peoples, boosting cooperation and friendship but also end the hour-long queues tourists from both sides often had to endure along the 750-meter border crossing dividing the two cities.

Both China and Russia have been negotiating a deal to build a bridge over the river.

Authorities from both sides say the bridge is expected to open in 2019 and will greatly enhance transportation of goods and people in the region known as the China-Mongolia-Russia economic corridor.

Currently, people crossing the border have to use river ferries.

The BRICS Post with inputs from Agencies