China trials 1,400 mile highway in economic corridor with Mongolia, Russia

China and Russia are boosting overland cross-border connectivity in the Russian Far East, as well as deep in the heart of Eurasia as their trade ties expand.

A convoy of nine trucks left Xinjiang in northwest China on Friday for Novosibirsk in a trial of an ambitious transnational highway, a key route in a broader economic corridor envisioned by China, Mongolia and Russia, according to Chinese state media. The trucks departed from Xinjiang's Urumqi and will arrive in Novosibirsk, Russia's third-largest city, after traversing 2,250 km (1,400 miles) on a six-day journey and transiting in Mongolia.

The Asia Highway 4 (AH4) is the second international road link connecting China, Mongolia and Russia. It is also part of an ambitious project aimed at boosting trade of energy and natural resources beyond China and Russia to include Mongolia under a trilateral pact to create a new model of regional cooperation. About 577 kilometres of the AH4 lies in China, while 758 kilometres of the highway is in Mongolia and 918 kilometres in Russia. The AH4 will play a "pivotal" role in shaping the China-Mongolia-Russia economic corridor, an official from the Chinese transport ministry said at the Urumqi launch ceremony.

Mongolia is expanding its ties with China and Russia, especially after the reopening of China's borders this year with the lifting of COVID restrictions, leveraging on its geographical position as a transportation hub for the region. China and Russia are boosting overland cross-border connectivity in the Russian Far East, as well as deep in the heart of Eurasia as their trade ties expand.

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