Russia and China agree to build second railway line at Zabaikalsk-Manchuria border crossing

MOSCOW. May 20 (Interfax) - Russia and China have signed an agreement on the joint construction of a railway, as well as a memorandum of understanding on cooperation in human resource development.

Russian Transport Minister Andrei Nikitin and Rosatom state nuclear energy corporation CEO Alexei Likhachev signed the agreement on behalf of Russia during President Vladimir Putin's official visit to Beijing upon the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping.

The agreement concerns the construction of a second 1435mm-gauge track at the cross-border section of the Zabaikalsk-Manchuria railway, Russia's Transport Ministry told Interfax.

"We are currently summing up the fruitful cooperation between the transport departments of Russia and China. An intergovernmental agreement was signed on the joint construction of a second 1435mm-gauge track at the cross-border section of the Zabaikalsk-Manchuria railway. The document confirms our shared commitment to increasing the capacity of the corridor. Implementing this will increase the capacity of the Zabaikalsk checkpoint by 11 million tonnes by 2030, thus ensuring the exchange of nearly 50 pairs of trains per day," the ministry's press service quoted Nikitin as commenting on the signing of the document.

As reported, the Russian government in February approved a draft intergovernmental agreement submitted by the Transport Ministry on implementing the project that had been coordinated with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other interested federal executive bodies, and had been preliminary discussed with the Chinese side.

The Transport Ministry was instructed to hold talks with the Chinese side and sign the agreement on behalf of the Russian government upon reaching an agreement. Non-fundamental amendments to the draft agreement were authorized if necessary.

In May 2024, Russian Railways and the state-owned China Railway corporation signed a comprehensive strategic cooperation agreement, agreeing, among other matters, to accelerate the construction of a second main railway line on a 1435 mm gauge at the Zabaikalsk-Manchuria border crossing.