Heihe, a small Chinese city across a river from Russia, tells a big story of closer people-to-people exchanges as China and Russia launched mutual visa-free entry in 2025, leading to cross-border bustle.
In this border city, Russian tourists are enjoying local snacks at outdoor morning markets, while Chinese customers are filling up their carts with chocolate, vodka, and signature Russian violet candies at a Russian goods supermarket. The scene has become a fixture of daily life.
Most of the stalls in the city have bilingual signs in Chinese and Russian, and the owners can communicate using basic Russian words and phrases.
"(Russian travelers prefer to buy) fruits. Because Chinese fruits are much cheaper than those in Russia. They also buy steamed buns, and egg burgers," said a stall owner.
"There are noticeably more Russians now. They come with the whole family. They really like buying Chinese products, especially food. They love to eat, and they love to have fun," said another vendor.
Heihe and Blagoveshchensk, the capital of Amur Oblast in Russia's Far East, face each other across the Heilongjiang River, also known in Russia as the Amur River, with the closest distance between the two cities being approximately 700 meters. By boat on the river, it takes only five minutes to reach the opposite bank.
Starting September 15, 2025, China has allowed Russian citizens to enter the country without a visa for up to 30 days under a one-year trial policy, boosting Russian tourists' willingness to travel to China.
China has decided to extend visa-free entry for Russian citizens until Dec 31, 2027, a spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Wednesday.
Border authorities in Heihe say passenger traffic through the port has reached 360,000 trips so far this year, marking an 80 percent increase compared with the same period last year.
Chinese-Russian border city witnesses closer people-to-people exchanges
