A temporary pontoon passage across the China-Russia border, which connects Luobei County of northeast China's Heilongjiang Province with Russia's Amurzet, opened to traffic on Friday to facilitate transportation between the two countries in winter.
The pontoon passage is a temporary river crossing facility, typically used during the winter when the river is frozen. It usually consists of multiple connected floating units to form a transport route on the ice surface.
The pontoon passage connecting Luobei and Amurzet is composed of 34 floating units with a total length of more than 900 meters. With the passage, it takes only five minutes by car to travel between the two places.
To further facilitate the cross-border transportation, local authorities in Luobei set up a "one-stop" customs clearance mechanism, allowing the vehicles to be inspected upon arrival to maximize the efficiency of customs clearance.
"We have frequent business exchanges with Russia on the other side, and the opening of this freight pontoon channel is really convenient. It takes only five minutes to get to Russia, which is time-saving and labor-saving for us," said Zhang Shuai, a passenger who is taking a cross-border bus to Russia.
The construction of the pontoon passage greatly enhanced the transportation capacity of Luobei Port, especially during the winter, allowing it to operate year-round.
Seasonal pontoon passage linking China, Russia opens to traffic
A group of 30 young people from Taiwan, organized by the Ma Ying-jeou Culture and Education Foundation, have recently attended a series of Confucian cultural events in east China's Shandong Province, contributing to strengthening communication between young people from the mainland and Taiwan, and helping promote cross-Strait relations.
On Monday, the 2025 Cross-Strait Confucius Cultural Spring Gathering opened in Qufu City of Shandong, the birthplace of Confucius. The youth delegation, along with Hsiao Hsu-tsen, executive director of the foundation, attended the launch ceremony.
On Tuesday morning, the delegation watched a Confucius memorial ceremony at the city's Temple of Confucius, where they offered floral baskets and recited classical texts to honor the ancient Chinese philosopher.
Confucius (551 BC - 479 BC) was ancient China’s most famous teacher, philosopher and political theorist, whose ideas have profoundly influenced the civilizations of China and other East Asian countries.
Kung Tsui-chang, a direct 79th-generation descendant of Confucius from Taiwan who also traveled with the youth delegation, expressed his hope that similar cultural exchanges would help strengthen ties between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait.
"The youths from Taiwan and the mainland performed the rituals and played the ritual music together. This cultural resonance transcends language and is the most vivid explanation of our shared cultural root. I believe that by sustained cultural dialogue, compatriots on both sides of the Taiwan Straits, while jointly safeguarding the common cultural root, will enhance mutual understanding, build consensus, and inject more positive energy into cross-Strait peace and national rejuvenation," said Kung, also president of the Confucius Foundation.
During their stay in Shandong, the delegation also participated in other exchange activities in the cities of Tai'an, Qingdao, Zaozhuang, and Jinan.
Taiwan's youth delegation attends Confucian cultural events in mainland
