A picture taken on July 22, 2026 shows the exterior of the joint inspection hall of the China-Russia cross-border cableway. Photo: Xinhua

The Heihe-Blagoveshchensk cross-border passenger cableway, the first of its kind between China and Russia, has completed its main construction and is scheduled to be finished by the end of 2026. Upon operation, the project will further improve the efficiency of personnel exchanges between the two countries.

The updates of the project were made by Zhang Qijun, a deputy director of the management committee of the China (Heilongjiang) Pilot Free Trade Zone Heihe Area in Northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, at the "Heihe Opening-up Northward Special Promotion Event" during the 2026 Entrepreneurs Sun Island Annual Conference on Sunday, the Xinhua News Agency reported.

As one of the landmark projects in cross-border cooperation between China and Russia, the cableway connects Daheihe Island in Heihe on the Chinese side with the downtown riverside area of Blagoveshchensk on the Russian side. Construction of the project began in July 2019.

Stretching approximately 970 meters horizontally, the cableway employs one of the world's most advanced cableway operation systems. With two cabins, each holding up to 110 passengers, it runs at a top speed of 12 meters per second, completing a one-way trip in six to eight minutes. The system is designed to carry 2.6 million passengers in one direction each year.

Heihe and Blagoveshchensk face each other across the river, with the two cities just about 750 meters apart at their closest point, said Zhang, noting that the two sides have maintained close economic, trade and cultural exchanges. 

Once completed, the cableway will create a multi-dimensional cross-border transport network in Heihe featuring bridges, ferries and cableways, driving coordinated development of tourism, logistics and trade industries in the border regions of the two countries, according to Zhang.

China and Russia have seen robust trade growth despite global economic headwinds. According to the latest data from the General Administration of Customs, bilateral trade reached $134.175 billion in the first half of 2026, up 25.6 percent year-on-year, highlighting strong growth momentum.

Global Times