China, Russia eye crossings on border island

China and Russia are considering setting up land crossings connecting through Heixiazi Island, which is jointly owned by the two countries.

Zhou Hong, director of the Heixiazi Island Development and Management Committee, said Russia has suggested cross-border checkpoints. These would allow eight-seater or smaller cars to travel between Khabarovsk, one of the largest cities in Russia's Far East, and Fuyuan in Heilongjiang province, the most easterly town in China.

Zhou said that once the checkpoints are set up, they could be the largest on the Sino-Russian border and handle a projected annual passenger flow of more than 2 million.