As Russian President Vladimir Putin prepares to visit Beijing, ITV News’ Asia Correspondent Debi Edwards reports from Manzhouli, a city on the China-Russian border, where business between the two countries has boomed since the start of the war in Ukraine.
In the far northeast of China, where it borders Mongolia and Russia, the city of Manzhouli has grown from a small trading town to a central pillar of the Chinese economy.
It is home to the busiest land port between China and Russia. The latest figures from the local government show a 400% increase in border trade year on year.
At several logistics sites across the city, we found Russian trucks lined up, having dropped off or picked up their cargo.
Timber is one of the main commodities being traded. Wood, imported from Russia, is then processed in China, becoming furniture or even chopsticks destined for domestic and international markets.
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