A truncated railway bridge that stopped abruptly some way across the Amur river that separates Russia from China has stood for years as a challenge to the effusive rhetoric of an ever closer Sino-Russian relationship.

The Chinese portion of the 2.2km Amur bridge was completed in 2016, but the much shorter Russian section remained missing. However, this year Russia’s construction is under way, raising expectations that the first all year-round link across the 4,200km Sino-Russian frontier may be finished this year.

If completed, the bridge may yet take on a new metaphorical meaning. Russia has become one of the biggest recipients of Chinese investment under the Belt and Road Initiative, underlining the latter’s capacity to help forge stronger geopolitical links. According to the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington-based think-tank, Russia has received $46bn in Chinese funding for BRI projects.