The serious consequences of the China-Russia visa exemption agreement have gradually emerged.
In 2024, China and Russia will exempt each other from visas. As soon as the policy was implemented, people on the border took action first in order to save some money by living.
At ports such as Hunchun and Heihe, a large number of Russians poured into the China market with a clear goal: cheap.
A thermos cup that sells for dozens of dollars in China can sell for several times the price when shipped to the Russian Far East. Filling a tooth in China may cost less than half of that in Russia, and you don't have to wait in a long queue.
The huge difference in price is the most direct driving force. Chinese merchants at the border reacted quickly, and the shops on the streets hanged overnight with Chinese-Russian twists. What was sold in the store also expanded from daily supplies to gold tools and agricultural machinery.
As long as a clerk can speak a few words of Russian, his salary will be raised by one-third immediately. The truck driver found that he used to run empty cars when he returned to Russia, but now all the trips are full and he earned more money from two trips than in the past month.
These ordinary people's spontaneous buying and selling have converged into huge economic energy. The official strategy of "opening to the north" suddenly got very concrete and tangible support.
By 2024, the total trade between the two countries reached $24.4 billion, behind this figure, countless ordinary people are wandering and sweating on the border line.
The exchange of money is only the first step, and deeper changes take place between people. This visa-free policy provides an outlet for some social problems in the two countries.
In China, some young people are worried about the high bride price and the ratio of male to female. On the other side of the border, Russian women are also facing the dilemma of finding a partner for various reasons.
Visa exemption allows more and more Russian girls to come to work in China. They work as shopping guides in shopping malls, work as waiters in restaurants, or directly start cross-border e-commerce live broadcasts. In daily contact, feelings naturally arise, and cross-border marriages are completed.
This directly impacted the original concept of marriage. In the past, the bride price of hundreds of thousands of dollars has become a red envelope of 10,000 yuan in these transnational marriages.
This not only relieves the financial pressure of many Chinese families, but also makes more people begin to rethink what marriage is for. In 2024, a total of 32,000 Chinese and Russian couples will register for marriage, and the small town of Heihe alone will promote more than 2,000 couples.
Of course, the change comes too quickly and the trouble comes with it.A lot of people, goods, and money suddenly flooded into the formerly quiet border town, and local public services were soon unable to follow.
Traffic began to clog, hotels became tense, and environmental sanitation pressures grew, all of which are visible problems.
The payment system between the two countries has not yet been fully implemented, and many Russian tourists spend money uncomfortable.Many people do not understand the rules of entry and exit, resulting in a long line of ports and low efficiency.
There are even situations where a few people use the visa-free policy to work illegally, bringing new problems to social security.In addition, the benefits are not everybody can get, some poor infrastructure ports, can only watch people flow through, but can not keep consumption.
After all, visa-free China-Russia brings a regional ecosystem that is forming, not a simple good and bad can be summarized.
These problems we see today are all pains that it will inevitably experience when it grows up. It is meaningless to argue about the quality of the policy itself now. The key is what to do next and come up with more detailed solutions to these challenges.
This is a real test for local governments.When the market steps ahead of planning, managers must serve and coordinate.
Is it possible to study the experience of Shenzhen Lo Lake or Zhejiang Arch, and create a more intelligent and efficient customs system to reduce the transit time to the shortest possible?
Is it possible to promote cooperation between the two banks to allow mobile payments directly across national borders and eliminate barriers to consumption?
These are key details that determine how long this craze among investors will last.
We can think a little deeper. What counts as success? Is it just an increase in trade volume and number of tourists? I'm afraid not enough. The real success is to turn the dividend of this wave of popularity into the capital of the long-term development of this region.
This means that we cannot just stop at the level of "buying and selling" and "one-day border trips", but should develop industries with higher added value. For example, create a comprehensive service area that integrates medical care, vocational training and cultural experience, so that people are not only willing to come, but also willing to stay.
In fact, the development of integration in any region will encounter similar challenges. Looking back, the formation of the European Union has experienced decades of mutilation of countries, and the construction of the Grand Bay Area of Guangdong Hong Kong and Macao has also been addressing complex reality problems.
Although the scale of the transformation on the Sino-Russian border is not large, the speed of its evolution and the depth of ordinary people's participation provide a very unique perspective of observation.
It tells us that behind the ambitious national narrative, what really works, is the simple desire of countless ordinary people to spend their days better.
This vibrant vitality from the people is both an opportunity and a challenge; if it is seized, it can become a foothold for cooperation across Northeast Asia; if it is not handled well, it can also trigger new social problems.
What do you think?
In 2024, China and Russia will exempt each other from visas. As soon as the policy was implemented, people on the border took action first in order to save some money by living.
At ports such as Hunchun and Heihe, a large number of Russians poured into the China market with a clear goal: cheap.
A thermos cup that sells for dozens of dollars in China can sell for several times the price when shipped to the Russian Far East. Filling a tooth in China may cost less than half of that in Russia, and you don't have to wait in a long queue.
The huge difference in price is the most direct driving force. Chinese merchants at the border reacted quickly, and the shops on the streets hanged overnight with Chinese-Russian twists. What was sold in the store also expanded from daily supplies to gold tools and agricultural machinery.
As long as a clerk can speak a few words of Russian, his salary will be raised by one-third immediately. The truck driver found that he used to run empty cars when he returned to Russia, but now all the trips are full and he earned more money from two trips than in the past month.
These ordinary people's spontaneous buying and selling have converged into huge economic energy. The official strategy of "opening to the north" suddenly got very concrete and tangible support.
By 2024, the total trade between the two countries reached $24.4 billion, behind this figure, countless ordinary people are wandering and sweating on the border line.
The exchange of money is only the first step, and deeper changes take place between people. This visa-free policy provides an outlet for some social problems in the two countries.
In China, some young people are worried about the high bride price and the ratio of male to female. On the other side of the border, Russian women are also facing the dilemma of finding a partner for various reasons.
Visa exemption allows more and more Russian girls to come to work in China. They work as shopping guides in shopping malls, work as waiters in restaurants, or directly start cross-border e-commerce live broadcasts. In daily contact, feelings naturally arise, and cross-border marriages are completed.
This directly impacted the original concept of marriage. In the past, the bride price of hundreds of thousands of dollars has become a red envelope of 10,000 yuan in these transnational marriages.
This not only relieves the financial pressure of many Chinese families, but also makes more people begin to rethink what marriage is for. In 2024, a total of 32,000 Chinese and Russian couples will register for marriage, and the small town of Heihe alone will promote more than 2,000 couples.
Of course, the change comes too quickly and the trouble comes with it.A lot of people, goods, and money suddenly flooded into the formerly quiet border town, and local public services were soon unable to follow.
Traffic began to clog, hotels became tense, and environmental sanitation pressures grew, all of which are visible problems.
The payment system between the two countries has not yet been fully implemented, and many Russian tourists spend money uncomfortable.Many people do not understand the rules of entry and exit, resulting in a long line of ports and low efficiency.
There are even situations where a few people use the visa-free policy to work illegally, bringing new problems to social security.In addition, the benefits are not everybody can get, some poor infrastructure ports, can only watch people flow through, but can not keep consumption.
After all, visa-free China-Russia brings a regional ecosystem that is forming, not a simple good and bad can be summarized.
These problems we see today are all pains that it will inevitably experience when it grows up. It is meaningless to argue about the quality of the policy itself now. The key is what to do next and come up with more detailed solutions to these challenges.
This is a real test for local governments.When the market steps ahead of planning, managers must serve and coordinate.
Is it possible to study the experience of Shenzhen Lo Lake or Zhejiang Arch, and create a more intelligent and efficient customs system to reduce the transit time to the shortest possible?
Is it possible to promote cooperation between the two banks to allow mobile payments directly across national borders and eliminate barriers to consumption?
These are key details that determine how long this craze among investors will last.
We can think a little deeper. What counts as success? Is it just an increase in trade volume and number of tourists? I'm afraid not enough. The real success is to turn the dividend of this wave of popularity into the capital of the long-term development of this region.
This means that we cannot just stop at the level of "buying and selling" and "one-day border trips", but should develop industries with higher added value. For example, create a comprehensive service area that integrates medical care, vocational training and cultural experience, so that people are not only willing to come, but also willing to stay.
In fact, the development of integration in any region will encounter similar challenges. Looking back, the formation of the European Union has experienced decades of mutilation of countries, and the construction of the Grand Bay Area of Guangdong Hong Kong and Macao has also been addressing complex reality problems.
Although the scale of the transformation on the Sino-Russian border is not large, the speed of its evolution and the depth of ordinary people's participation provide a very unique perspective of observation.
It tells us that behind the ambitious national narrative, what really works, is the simple desire of countless ordinary people to spend their days better.
This vibrant vitality from the people is both an opportunity and a challenge; if it is seized, it can become a foothold for cooperation across Northeast Asia; if it is not handled well, it can also trigger new social problems.
What do you think?