The bridge connecting the Russian city of Blagoveshchensk with the Chinese city of Heihe via the Amur River – known in China as the Heilongjiang – is just over a kilometer long and cost 19 billion rubles ($ 342 million), the RIA news agency reported. In the middle of a fireworks display, trucks from both ends crossed the bridge with two lanes adorned with flags in the colors of the two countries, according to videos from the inauguration. Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register Russian officials said the bridge would bring Moscow and Beijing closer by boosting trade, after announcing “no-limit” cooperation in February, shortly before President Vladimir Putin sent troops to Ukraine. “In today’s divided world, the Blagoveshchensk-Heihe bridge between Russia and China has a special symbolic meaning,” said Yuri Trutnev, the Kremlin’s spokesman for the Russian Far East. China wants to deepen practical cooperation with Russia in all areas, said Chinese Vice Premier Hu Chunhua at the inauguration. Russian Transport Minister Vitaly Saveliev said the bridge would help boost bilateral annual trade to more than 1 million tonnes of goods. The flags of China and Russia appear in this image taken on March 24, 2022. REUTERS / Florence Lo / Illustration

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The bridge has been under construction since 2016 and was completed in May 2020, but its opening was delayed due to cross-border restrictions COVID-19, said BTS-MOST, the company that builds the bridge on the Russian side. BTS-MOST said freight traffic on the bridge would reduce the travel distance of Chinese products to western Russia by 1,500 kilometers (930 miles). Vehicles crossing the bridge have to pay tolls of 8,700 rubles ($ 150), a price that is expected to fall as tolls begin to offset construction costs. Russia said in April that it expects trade flows with China to increase and trade with Beijing to reach $ 200 billion by 2024. China is a major buyer of Russian natural resources and agricultural products. China has refused to condemn Russia’s actions in Ukraine and has criticized Western sanctions on Moscow. ($ 1 = 57.8000 rubles) Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register Report by Reuters Edited by Gareth Jones Our role models: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.