Chaos at Chinese-Russian border as increased sanitary requirements to halt spread of Covid-19 cause backlog of 70 cargo trains

Since late last year, China has been holding train traffic at the border due to epidemiological restrictions, causing a pile-up of timber, coal and fertilizer. In particular, this has affected the crossing at Zabaykalsk, a small town located on the Sino-Russian border and a stone’s throw from Manzhouli, a city in Inner Mongolia. According to Moscow daily RBK, which spoke to representatives from Russian Railways, traffic allowed to pass through has been reduced, and increased epidemiological requirements have been placed on the cargo itself. In particular, in the last few months, China has stopped accepting Russian certificates of sanitary treatment…