“River transport is seriously affected by the weather, and I hope that a bridge connecting the two countries can be built,” song said.

“Once commissioned, the road bridge could reduce a third of the logistics costs of bilateral companies and improve transport efficiency by allowing goods to be transported directly from China to Russia,” song said.

Workers from China and Russia shook hands after the two ends of the Blagoveshchensk-Heihe bridge were combined on may 31, 2019. (Xinhua / Wang Jian)