The Chinese side of the first cross-border railway bridge to Russia is running drills to ensure that upcoming tests go smoothly, keeping the project on track to fully open in a few months, according to official statements this week. With an annual cargo capacity of up to 21 million tonnes, the railway bridge – first proposed back in 2007 and completed in August – is expected to significantly boost cross-border trade between the neighbours, according to state media reports on both sides. The week’s update comes as both China and Russia are under mounting international pressure following the latter’s invasion of Ukraine and Beijing’s refusal to condemn Moscow or support Western-led sanctions against it. “The bridge … is of great significance in terms of promoting the high-quality development of China-Russia trade,” says the online notice by officials in Tongjiang city, Heilongjiang province. China’s support for Russia galvanises West as US examines action against Beijing Costing US$355 million, the 2.2km (1.37-mile) railway bridge connects the countries across the Heilong River – known as the Amur in Russia – from Tongjiang to Nizhneleninskoye in the eastern Jewish Autonomous Oblast of Russia. Tongjiang’s notice said the drill was carried out on Sunday ahead of test runs involving China-bound freight trains, and the focus was on inspections, sterilisation and reloading. The Chinese section, spanning 1,886 metres, comprises most of the bridge’s length. “The coordination, command and emergency response capabilities of various departments have been further improved, the safety-assurance level of the trains has been improved, and sufficient preparations have been made for future tests of freight trains,” it added. The bridge will mainly be used to transport coal, iron ore, timber and mineral fertilisers from Russia to China, according to Russia’s state-owned Sputnik News . The news organisation also cited Rostislav Goldstein, governor of the Jewish Autonomous Oblast, as saying at a state legislative meeting in March that a test run on the bridge would be carried out this month, and that the bridge will be fully operational around August 20. The bridge will shorten the train journey from Heilongjiang to Moscow – roughly 6,000km apart as the crow flies – by about 809km, reducing travel time by more than 10 hours and easing pressure on the Manzhouli and Suifenhe land ports along China’s 4,209km border with Russia, according to the Tongjiang notice. As Western countries have been stepping up sanctions on Russia for its invasion of Ukraine, observers are waiting to see whether China offers an economic lifeline to its neighbour, particularly after the two countries announced in February that their friendship had “ no limits ”. China is Russia’s biggest trade partner. In March, China’s trade with Russia rose 12.76 per cent, year on year, to US$11.67 billion, while the growth in China’s total imports and exports was 6.1 per cent, according to SCMP calculations. China border region wants more ‘opening up to Russia’ following Ukraine war Additionally, Chinese imports from Russia were found to have increased 26.38 per cent in March, while exports declined by 7.65 per cent. Meanwhile, in the first quarter, the total trade between China and Russia increased 28.7 per cent, year on year, to US$38.17 billion, with China’s imports of Russian products rising 31 per cent. Last year, total trade between China and Russia jumped 35.8 per cent to a record US$147 billion. Li Kuiwen, a spokesman for China Customs, said on Wednesday that the agency will continue to monitor the trade impacts of the Russia-Ukraine conflict. “The General Administration of Customs … will continue to serve the normal economic and trade cooperation between China and Russia, Ukraine and other related countries,” Li said.