Closure of the Russian-Chinese border in the Far East due to the COVID-19 pandemic: reformatting cross-border practices of Sino-Russian interaction

Abstract

In the 21st century, Russian-Chinese relations have reached a new level of interaction, with mutual contacts successfully developing in various spheres and directions. Joint projects have been developed and implemented at the interstate and interregional levels. In the Far East, cross-border practices of interaction due to the proximity of the two countries have formed and functioned successfully in the established system of inter-regional bilateral relations. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted approved plans and has had a direct impact on the format of further cooperation. All these facts determined the relevance of this study. The purpose of the article is to analyze changes in the functioning of cross-border practices in Russian-Chinese interaction in the Far East in the new context of the coronavirus pandemic. The sources of the article are the quantitative data and analytical reviews of official governmental portals and news websites of the two countries. In the article a systematic approach was used, which allowed to consider cross-border practices as an element of the system of Russian-Chinese interregional cooperation in the Far East, which has a direct impact on its sustainability and development. The author examines the peculiarities of the existence of transboundary practices in the new environment and analyzes their resilience to the changed situation. In the course of the study, the author came to the conclusion that the COVID-19 pandemic and the rapidly followed closure of the Russian-Chinese border in the Far East have had an irreversible impact on the established Russian-Chinese cross-border practices. The 30-year period of their functioning in traditional formats has come to an end. The cross-border practices associated with interregional trade between the Russian Far East and Northeast China are the most stable. Their relative stability, however, is due to socioeconomic conditions, state support measures and foreign policy vectors of the two countries. The spheres of construction, agriculture, services and cultural and humanitarian cooperation, on the other hand, have shown maximum instability. Online events in education, science, art and sports spheres in the Far East border region are either impossible or significantly diminish their value, have a negative impact on perceptions and do not contribute to deepening ties. Cross-border practices such as tourism, shuttle trade, shopping tours have ceased altogether. Obviously, established cross-border practices will never function in their former formats again. If the border closures continue, they will inevitably fade and cease altogether in some areas, which, in turn, will have a negative impact on the development of Russian-Chinese relations at all levels in the future.