Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a law approving the agreement with China on jointly building a 1435 mm gauge second track on the Zabaikalsk-Manzhouli cross-border railway. Huanqiu reported it on November 2, citing Russian media.
Citing RIA Novosti and a Russian legal information website, Huanqiu said Putin signed the document ratifying the agreement between the Russian and Chinese governments on jointly building the second 1435 mm gauge track of the Trans-Baikal-Manzhouli cross-border railway. The two governments signed it in May this year. The date of Putin’s signature was not given in confirmed reports.
광고 문의 · 300×250Ratification steps and meaning
The State Duma approved the agreement on October 15 and the Federation Council on October 28, so Russia’s domestic process has reached its final step. The Chinese procedure, construction start, cost and timetable were not mentioned in Huanqiu’s report and remain unconfirmed.
The 1435 mm gauge is the standard used in China and much of Europe, while Russian railways use a wider gauge. The project can be read as an attempt to ease transshipment at the border, but accounts differ on what facilities will be built on which section and at what scale.
A Global Times commentary mentioned a connecting track of about 10 km on the same section, saying it would improve customs clearance and cargo transfer. The same piece said reports of Chinese trains running directly to Moscow were inaccurate and that aligning gauges is unrealistic in the short term. Whether the project it describes is the same as this agreement could not be confirmed.
Chinese accounts say the two countries have expanded transport and logistics cooperation this year, including leader-level exchanges. Third countries are watching what Russian rail links mean under sanctions, but no formal Western government reaction to this agreement was found in confirmed reports.
