Russia's export-import freight with China via the Zaibalsk-Manchuria rail border crossing increased by 18.4% in 2006 compared to the previous year and amounted to about 21 million tons.

China exported about 1 million tons of freight to Russia, while Russia's exports to China exceeded 20 million tons. China's exports consisted mainly of non-metallic ores, coke and chemicals, while Russia exported mostly petrochemicals to China.

The increase in the volume of freight was made possible by the reconstruction of the railway line between Karymskaya and Zaibalsk, which will increase the capacity of that stretch by 2-2.5 times when complete.

China's demand for oil imports in 2006 amounted to around 73 million tons and is expected to rise to 103 million tons by 2010. East Asia's shortage of energy resources means that the countries of the Asia-Pacific region are some of the most promising oil export markets in the world.