President Vladimir Putin is making a key trip to Russia’s most important ally, China, that will seek to shore up an alliance against the West and celebrate China-Russia ties.
When Vladimir Putin visited Beijing for the opening of the Winter Olympics at the beginning of last year, he and Xi Jinping announced a new “no limits” partnership between their countries.
Now, with Russia’s leader back in the Chinese capital, China’s state media has been hailing the fruits of this relationship.
In one way, it has been beneficial for both governments. They can reassure one another when they are frozen out on the world stage, and images of their handshakes are useful to try to show their own people that all is normal, with such powerful friends standing together. However, business activity in their border zones does not appear to live up to the political rhetoric.
Heihe was celebrated as the symbol of a new era in cross-border trade yet you can observe it for an hour and not see a single vehicle driving in either direction.
In the heart of the city, behind the small clusters of tourists taking photos across the river, two large multi-storey shopping centres have been closed due to a lack of patronage. One shut just months ago, and we’re told the other has been empty for seven years.
Some of the former stallholders are parked in front of the first building selling Russian gifts and gadgets out of the backs of their cars.
“Business isn’t good. There aren’t enough tourists,” one woman says.
“After Covid, the borders haven’t been open for long. There aren’t enough Russians coming across. They’re poor and they’re at war.”
Others selling goods nod along as she says this.
In a street nearby, a woman in a small shop is selling hats made in China, using Russian fur. She says they were once very popular with both Russian and Chinese customers but that recently her business has been struggling.
“You can’t compare now to the past,” she says. “Just take a look at the streets. They’re empty. In the past they were filled with potential buyers.”
