The National Centre RUSSIA on Bolshoy Ussuriysky Island — a flagship for tourism and business development

The National Centre RUSSIA branch in the Khabarovsk Territory, the Friendship of Peoples Park and tourism infrastructure will become important elements in the development of Bolshoy Ussuriysky Island. The prospects for this unique transboundary territory were discussed on 3 September in Vladivostok at the session "Bolshoy Ussuriysky: An Island of Friendship, Peace and Prosperity".

"China is a key trade and investment partner both for the Russian Federation as a whole and for the Far Eastern macroregion. Over the past eight years, trade turnover has increased 2.5-fold to reach 1.7 trillion roubles. Bolshoy Ussuriysky Island is an important location and a unique platform for developing bilateral cooperation. The territory is expected to be developed according to the 'one island — two states' model," noted Sergei Litvyakov, Director of the Department for State Support and Technological Development of the Far East at the Ministry for the Development of the Russian Far East and Arctic.

According to him, the flagship projects include the National Centre RUSSIA branch, the Friendship of Peoples Park, which is expected to attract up to 1.6 million visitors a year, and new tourism investment initiatives. Together, they are intended to create a comfortable and engaging environment for Russian and Chinese citizens.

The Director General of the Far East and Arctic Development Corporation, Nikolai Zapryagaev, noted that the island's development requires a responsible approach to selecting investors and careful treatment of its natural landscape.

"It is important that responsible developers come to the island with well-conceived projects that are genuinely in demand. Together with the Government of the Khabarovsk Territory, we will work with investors step by step. One of the priority projects is a tourist park around the National Centre RUSSIA branch. It is important that this be a well-developed area where people can walk, relax, explore the island and enjoy its natural landscape," the expert emphasised.

For his part, the Mayor of Fuyuan, Zheng Shuyi, spoke about the development of the Chinese part of the island. He emphasised that the territory has always been and remains a place that attracts friends from the Far East, while its joint development is built on the long-standing good-neighbourly relations between Russia and China.

"We will develop the infrastructure in a coordinated manner, paying particular attention to environmental standards and green construction principles. A number of important facilities are expected to be completed by the end of this year. Construction of the road infrastructure is 67% complete, while the passenger checkpoint is nearly ready. Construction of the freight crossing is expected to be completed by the end of September next year. Once traffic opens, we plan to attract participants in foreign economic activity and develop all of the island's key functions, including tourism and foreign trade," said Zheng Shuyi.

He also highlighted the enormous potential of the Russian-Chinese tourism market: according to 2025 statistics, a locality with a population of around 100,000 welcomed 2.5 million tourists.

The comprehensive development of the territory is being carried out following agreements between Russia and China and in line with the course set by the leaders of the two countries — the President of Russia, Vladimir Putin, and the President of the People's Republic of China, Xi Jinping.

The session on the future of Bolshoy Ussuriysky Island was held as part of the XI Eastern Economic Forum, which is taking place in the Primorye Territory from 1 to 4 September. The discussion brought together the Director General of the National Centre RUSSIA, Natalia Virtuozova, the Governor of the Khabarovsk Territory, Dmitry Demeshin, as well as Russian and Chinese experts on the development of the Far East.