China-Russian Border Trade Focusing on Heilongjiang Province

Recent years, Chinese-Russian border trade develops rapidly. This trade is a part of the Chinese-Russian economic and trade cooperation, and it plays a major role in the development of the borderland region of the two countries. There is a general understanding of the meaning of “border trade”, but it still has not an exact definition. The information materials concerning this trade have not been analyzed consistently.In this paper the author clarifies the definition of border trade and its concrete systems, Mutual trade (in Chinese: hu shi mao yi), Small amount trade (in Chinese: bian jing xiao e mao yi), consignment trade and shuttle trade, using the result of interviews and data gathering in the China-Russian borderland region, carried out by the author in the period from July to September 2007. It also examines more closely the dynamics of the borderline trade policy of the two countries. Because the Heilongjiang province accounts for more than 60 percent of all Chinese-Russian borderline trade, the paper analyzes the statistical materials of this province and examines main causes for changes in volumes of border trade. It is demonstrated that the border trade has been largely influenced by the policy of the two states and by the. recent economic booms in two countries.