From Manzhouli Port in North China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region to Russia's Zabaykalsky Krai and Irkutsk Oblast, bustling cross-border trains and a steady two-way flow of tourists highlight thriving industrial cooperation in grain processing, timber production and cultural tourism, serving as a vivid microcosm of upgraded and more efficient bilateral economic ties.

In the workshop of Manzhouli Xinfeng Grain and Oil Industrial Limited Company, the aroma of raw grain fills the air as fully automated production lines operate smoothly. Flaxseeds and oats from Russia undergo hulling, pressing and grinding, transforming into high-quality edible oils and premium coarse cereals before being dispatched across China.

"Following the closed-customs operation of the China-Russia Border Residents' Mutual Trade Zone at Manzhouli railway port in 2024, our 'mutual trade plus' import model has significantly reduced raw material costs and notably boosted profits," said Yang Zhihong, the company's deputy general manager. In 2025, the enterprise's agricultural imports from Russia surged to 19,000 metric tons from about 7,400 tons.

"Border residents enjoy a daily tax-free mutual trade quota of 8,000 yuan ($1,176), and enterprises purchase these imported agricultural products through cooperatives, which lowers procurement costs and provides locals with doorstep income," said Pei Xintong from the zone's economic development bureau.

This trade relies on Russian hubs like the Zabaykalsk grain terminal. As a flagship facility of the Sino-Russian New Land Grain Corridor, it features dual-gauge railways for efficient transfer and dispatch.

Chinese enterprises have formed a complete chain of overseas planting, cross-border logistics, and domestic processing and distribution. Alexander Osipov, governor of Russia's Zabaykalsky Krai, highlighted broad prospects for supplying organic agricultural products to China.

At Manzhouli Tianwang Wood, the sound of sawing echoes as imported Russian timber is cut, polished and assembled into various solid structures.

General Manager Wang Wei recounted the company's evolution from a small workshop in 2010 to a 47,000-square-meter facility with over 60 employees, producing cabins, biomass pellets and solid wood flooring. Recently, the company opened new avenues through livestreaming and customized tourism products.

Forestry is a pillar industry in Russia's Khabarovsk and Zabaykalsky Krais. Welcoming Chinese joint ventures in timber harvesting and processing, Osipov said Zabaykalsky is a major timber supplier to China.

"We use high-quality Russian timber to build zero-formaldehyde solid wood cabins," Wang said. Targeting ecological tourism, the company partners with herdsmen to build tourist spots, integrating timber processing with cultural tourism.

This cooperation has formed an industrial cluster in Manzhouli integrating imports, processing, manufacturing and sales, achieving a multiplication of timber value.

The mutual visa-exemption policy has invigorated cross-border tourism. Inner Mongolia's Hulunbuir, bordering Zabaykalsky Krai, launched a "Tracing the Great Tea Road" route in May 2025, while study tours and activities like the "China-Russia Friendship, Argun Journey" have become prominent calling cards for cultural exchanges.

Russian resources are equally attractive, said Igor Kobzev, governor of Irkutsk Oblast, adding that nearly 40,000 Chinese citizens visited last year. In 2026, the Russian federal government approved a tourism and recreation special economic zone in Baikalsk, offering settled enterprises preferential tax and infrastructure policies.

To attract Chinese tourists, restaurants in Chita and Irkutsk offer Taiga forest and Siberian cuisines, while some mining enterprises have launched industrial tourism featuring factory tours and shopping.

Mineral cooperation remains a crucial direction for industrial integration. Kobzev said resource-rich Irkutsk seeks Chinese partners to jointly develop resources and advance high-end manufacturing, adding that exports of edible oils and mineral water to China will also be expanded to broaden cooperation.

renqi@chinadaily.com.cn