This photo taken on Dec. 2, 2019 shows the joining part of the first highway bridge connecting China and Russia across the Heilongjiang River.?(PHOTO:?XINHUA)

Edited by WANG Xiaoxia

Beef, caviar, chocolate, candy and other goods from Russia are becoming popular on Chinese tables. Chinese cars and China -constructed subways are offering more convenient transportation options for Russian citizens. This growing trend can be attributed to the broad and pragmatic bilateral cooperation in recent years.

According to statistics from China's General Administration of Customs, China -Russia trade exceeded 190 billion USD in 2022, up by 116 percent from ten years ago, and in the first two months of 2023, bilateral trade exceeded 33 billion USD, a year-on-year increase of 25.9 percent.

The increasing trade volumes reflect the growing connectivity in and between the two countries, which is realized by closer cooperation in technology transfer and sci-tech innovation. Major projects in such fields as energy, aviation and space are making steady progress.

The Moscow Metro project, part of which was undertaken by China Railway Construction, was put into operation at the end of 2021.?

In June 2022, the Heilongjiang Bridge, the first cross-border highway bridge between China and Russia, with a length of 1,284 meters, was officially opened to traffic, marking the opening of a new international transport corridor between northeast China and far east Russia.

Meanwhile, the two countries have delivered fruitful?outcomes?of cooperation in such fields as pandemic prevention and control, nuclear energy and digital economy. In addition, the China-Russia joint science and technology innovation fund has been successfully launched and significant cooperation progress has been made in major strategic projects.

Principal results from bilateral cooperation include China's participation in the construction of the Nuclotron-based Ion Collider Facility (NICA), a large-scale scientific facility, and the establishment of the Russian-China Mathematical Center by both sides. Practices?have?proven that there are?great potential and broad prospects?for China-Russia cooperation in sci-tech innovation.