trategic partnership and the beginning of action. 1.6 Transportation and other basic infrastructures fall behind the great development of Sino-Russia trade relations. According to the statistics of China Trade, the Chinese ports transporting capacity is very limited in the present trade situation. Our important international trade port Manzhouli can only transport 3,000,000 tons per year; the port Suifeng River port can only transport 900,000 tons per year; the port Ernianhaote can only allow freight of 300,000 tons to pass. Because the poor port transporting capacity, it is estimated by China Trade that almost 2000 railway freight carriages were detained on the railway in 1999. In 1999, the transportation units only finish 84% of the volume of rail freights. Because of the limited transporting capacity, almost 25% of the contract assignments have not been fulfilled. On the other hand, Rail lines continue to be the main means of freight transport between China and Russia, however, the Russian railways in Siberia of Russia are all single-track railways, and the air transporting is still too expensive and inconvenient, therefore, the Russian transporting capacity also hinders the normal development of the Sino-Russia trade relations. The Far East Railway Network, in a statement via Grodekovo (near Ussurysk), isn't able to handle the increased turnover of goods between the countries. The line, near the small Russian cities of Khasan and Posyet, is the second Chinese-Russian railway line crossing the countries' Far Eastern border. The other line is about 100 km north on the border with the Chinese province of Heilongjiang. Another rail link, part of the original Trans-Siberian railroad completed in the 1890s, connects Russia to China near Mongolia. Therefore, China and Russia have to spend a lot in forming a comprehensive transporting system of railway, highway, water and air transporting forms. Andrei Ostrovsky of the Far East Institute sa...
