Federation Council ratifies protocol to Russia-China intergovernmental agreement facilitating freight transport development

MOSCOW. March 27 (Interfax) - The Federation Council approved a bill at its meeting on Thursday ratifying the protocol amending the agreement between the Russian and Chinese governments aimed at developing road freight transport across the two countries' border.

The protocol in question was signed in Moscow on August 21, 2024.

According to the explanatory note, road transport between Russia and China has been actively developing in recent years. Since the practical implementation of the June 8, 2018 intergovernmental agreement, alongside traditional cross-border freight transport between adjacent regions, carriers from virtually all Russian regions have shown interest in China-bound shipments. The most significant growth in freight transport to China comes from Russia's central and Ural regions, the note said.

However, Russian carriers face substantial constraints in conducting such operations due to the inability of drivers and personnel from non-border Russian regions to obtain Chinese C category visas, which are issued to crew members of international transport vehicles.

Under the current agreement, multiple-entry visas are only issued to drivers engaged in cross-border trade between Russia and China, and require official letters from the two countries' foreign ministry representations in border regions.

The proposed amendments to the agreement therefore introduce simplified visa procedures for specific categories of citizens. The new regime will apply to a broader range of entities than stipulated in the current agreement, in particular covering drivers, vehicle crew members, freight forwarders and interpreters involved in cross-border transport operations at the Russia-China border section, rather than just those servicing cross-border trade.