China And Russia Building A Bridge

 Hong Kong (CNN) reports For decades the Amur River has separated modern Russia and China -- its waters cutting though more than 1,000 of their roughly 2,500 border miles. But there was only shortage of one thing: a vehicle bridge for importing and exporting quickly between these two countries.

Now -- as Russian economic isolation in the wake of its invasion of Ukraine pushes it near to Beijing -- that is changing, with fanfare.a

Last Friday, Moscow and Beijing feted the launch of another new link -- what state media on both sides have called the 1st highway bridge over the Amur -- with rockets trailing colorful smoke bursting overhead, and local officials applauding from the riverbanks, while their superiors beamed in from Beijing and Moscow on giant television screens specially brought in for the day.

A 2nd crossing, the only railway bridge to connect the countries across the river, is expected to open soon.

For that maiden highway journey last week, 8 freight trucks from China and 8 truck from Russia drove in procession over the kilometer-long bridge, each bearing 2 oversized national flags on either side of their cabs, as they glided by each other in choreography captured by aerial drones.

The Chinese freighters carried electronics and tires, the Russian ones soybean oil and sawn timber, according to Moscow. And if any viewers were in doubt about the symbolism -- coming as the war in Ukraine has left Moscow desperate to show it still has friends and trade partners -- a Russian deputy prime minister filled in the blanks.

Keep in mind the source of this news is CNN news.