Senior officials from the Government of the Russian Federation, entrepreneurs, and figures from the cultural and education industries have paid several visits to Chongqing to promote cooperation in the past years. Chongqing's government leaders have also led delegations to Russia to boost practical collaboration in all fields.
Blossoming Friendship
Chongqing has established friendly and cooperative relations with 15 local governments in Russia and deepened friendship with Moscow, St. Petersburg, and Vladimir Oblast.
Opening Ceremony of the 3rd China-Russia Youth Forum.( file photo provided to iChongqing)
Economic and Trade Cooperation
Imports and exports between Chongqing and Russia totaled 8.806 billion yuan in 2020, while foreign trade between the two parties amounted to 4.565 billion yuan between January and May 2021, representing a year-on-year increase of 88.3%.
Russia is a vital partner for Chongqing in economics, trade, and logistics. It is also a critical transit and destination country offering strategic support for the China Railway Express (Yuxinou).
Chongqing and Russia are strategic partners in transportation and logistics. In April 2012, five parties from four nations, including the railway departments of China and Russia and Chongqing Transportation Holding Group, co-founded the Yuxinou China Europe Railway Express.
Regular freight train services on the Chongqing-Xinjiang-Russia line were launched in September 2014, connecting the two nations directly. Chongqing then opened a freight service to Moscow the following year.
Strategic cooperation between Chongqing and Russia has enjoyed further development thanks to international trade and logistics. It has become a model for successful integration between the Belt and Road Initiative and Eurasian Economic Union.
Chongqing began operations of a passenger air route to Moscow and Irkutsk over June and July 2017.
Major events, including the Chongqing-Samara Economic and Trade Promotion Conference, have deepened all-around cooperation between China and Russia.
Extensive Cooperation Mechanisms
Chongqing is part of a cooperation mechanism between the Yangtze middle and lower reaches and the Volga Federal District. The city held the first plenary meeting for cooperating work groups from the two rivers in February 2014 and held the Chongqing-Bashkortostan Business Day event, the Chongqing-Samara Economic and Trade Promotion Conference, and other events which have effectively deepened all-round cooperation with Russia.
Chongqing is a Council for Local Cooperation member, part of the China-Russia Friendship Committee for Peace and Development. The 21st regular meeting of the Committee of Sino-Russian Premiers was successfully held under the mechanism framework in Chongqing from October 29–30, 2017.
Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Kong Xuanyou held consultations with his Russian counterpart Igor Morgulov on the Korean Peninsula and Afghanistan issues.
Chongqing attended the fifth China-Russia Expo and first Sino-Russian Local Cooperation Forum as City of Honor under the framework of local cooperation and exchange in 2018.
Fruitful results have also been achieved in economics, trade, and cultural cooperation through a series of activities, including the Chongqing-Sverdlovsk Oblast Economic and Trade Cooperation Forum, the Chongqing Tourism Promotion Season Launch Ceremony & Chongqing-Moscow Air Route Promotion Day event, the 3rd China-Russia Local Industrial Cooperation Forum in St. Petersburg, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Heads of Region Meeting, the 25th Anniversary of Chongqing-Voronezh ties, and the 5th St Petersburg Chinese New Year Festival.
The SCO Heads of Region Meeting was successfully held in Chongqing from May 14-16, 2019. The Russian Embassy in China sent a delegation to attend the meeting and series of events, including the opening ceremony for the 2nd Western China International Fair for Investment and Trade.
Since the outbreak of COVID-19, Chongqing and related cities in Russia have mutually helped each other overcome the difficulties. Chongqing has donated anti-pandemic materials to the Russian Embassy in China and has organized video conferences with Moscow to share experiences fighting the pandemic.