Russia–China Travel and Trade Jump as Moscow Details Border Upgrades

Overview

• Air traffic between the countries rose 40% in the first nine months of 2025, topping 1.1 million passengers, with 228 weekly flights in the summer schedule.
• Mutual tourism is projected at 3.5 million trips in 2025, about 30% above 2024, with a stated goal to double pre‑2020 levels by 2030, according to the Economy Ministry.
• Overall cargo through border checkpoints increased 47.5% in 2024 and a further 22.6% in the first half of 2025, official transport data show.
• Construction at the Kani‑Kurgan, Pogranichny and Kraskino checkpoints is slated to finish in 2025, lifting their throughput 2.5 times to 650,000 trucks per year.
• The Transport Ministry says modernization will raise combined checkpoint capacity to 3.35 million vehicles annually, with Zabaikalsk reconstruction due in 2028 and work continuing on the Makhaliino rail checkpoint and Naushki.