VLADIVOSTOK, September 2. /TASS/. Bolshoy Ussuriysky Island on the Russian-Chinese border may become a pilot zone of cooperation between the two countries, the press service of the head of the Ministry for the Development of the Russian Far East Alexey Chekunkov reported.
"As the head of the Ministry for the Development of the Russian Far East noted, it is planned to develop not only tourism on Bolshoy Ussuriysky, but also cross-border industrial cooperation. The island will become a venue for international exhibitions and conferences. The possibility of creating a pilot Russian-Chinese zone of international cooperation is being considered," the statement says.
The ministry’s press service noted that Russia and China have taken another step aimed at developing a large-scale joint project in the Far East.
During the visit of Russian President Vladimir Putin to China, an Action Plan for the implementation of a unified concept for the development of Bolshoy Ussuriysky Island in the Khabarovsk region was signed. The Ministry for the Development of the Russian Far East and the State Development and Reform Committee of the People's Republic of China agreed to synchronize steps to create border and other infrastructure on the island.
During the negotiations in China, the participants in the international project agreed to strengthen cooperation in the field of environmental protection and green development of Bolshoy Ussuriysky Island, and to launch joint scientific and educational programs. The progress of the project will be reviewed quarterly at a meeting of a special Russian-Chinese working group.
The concept for the joint development of Bolshoy Ussuriysky was signed in May 2024 in Beijing in the presence of Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping. It is planned to open a checkpoint on the island, which, in conjunction with the Khabarovsk Bypass highway and a dry port, together with China's plans to develop similar infrastructure, will create a new international transport hub.