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Text 340 Northeast Border Trade

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    In the summer, Suifenhe is no different from other parts of the country, it is extremely hot.  But there is another thing that is hotter than the temperature, and that is the various legal or illegal border trades on the Sino-Soviet border.  Although a war that took place thousands of kilometers away from here three years ago severely damaged Sino-Soviet relations, which were already relatively cold, under the guidance of Gorbachev, the Soviet Union has slowly shifted from confrontation with other countries in the world to adjusting itself.  The Soviet Union especially did not want to fight another war with China, which had defeated itself once.

    In fact, since the early 1980s, when Sino-Soviet relations warmed up, various barter trades on the border have gradually taken shape. Even when the border war broke out, because neither side knew what was going on, people here were still  Going about their business.  After the peace talks between the two sides, the Soviet Union did not find trouble with China on trade and other issues, and trade here became more and more frequent.

    Liu Qiang, an agent of the Strategic Security Bureau, came to Suifenhe at this time. Originally, he thought that such a small border town should be much more desolate, just like a place like the Longmen Inn in the novel, but it was not until he saw this small town with his own eyes that he realized  How wrong I was.

    Although Suifenhe is indeed small, its prosperity can even be compared with some provincial capital cities.  There are not many high-rise buildings on the streets here. They are basically small buildings with two or three floors. They operate a variety of shops, many of which are restaurants, small hotels, and wholesale stores for various goods.  These wholesale shops are basically run by private owners. In addition to the locals in the Northeast, some self-employed individuals who have made a fortune in the South have also gone to the border to operate border trade.

    There is also a larger market on the outskirts of Suifenhe. Although it is relatively simple, just like a vegetable market enclosed by a large ceiling, the goods shipped and purchased there are often more powerful merchants, even many state-owned enterprises and local enterprises.  sales representative.  This large market was completed the year before last. The amount of goods traded there every day is even comparable to the annual fiscal revenue of some surrounding cities, which is really scary.

    As an agent of the Strategic Security Bureau, Liu Qiang came to Suifenhe to carry out a mission, and he also had people to support him.  In a store that wholesales stationery, Liu Qiang exchanged passwords with the store owner and connected.

    "This is your first time in Suifenhe?" The shopkeeper, who was a hidden stake, smiled. He didn't look like an agent at all. He looked like an ordinary self-employed trader.  He has a Wenzhou accent and seems to have come from Zhejiang to do business. There are many people like him in Suifenhe.

    Liu Qiang guessed that this shop owner is probably a CCT (middleman, liaison officer). They often have their own jobs, but are absorbed by the organization. After strict background checks, they have not undergone particularly complex training. Like this shop owner, if the above  Without him, he might just do this business for the rest of his life.  However, a sum of money will be deposited into his account regularly, which means that he is still employed.  Once there is a task that needs him to perform, he is activated.  Usually such intelligence personnel will not engage in particularly complex tasks, but it is often difficult to trace who they work for, so they are relatively safe, and such intelligence personnel can play an unexpected role in many situations.

    ¡°I think in such a border city, most people don¡¯t come here often to see it,¡± Liu Qiang said.

    The shop owner laughed and said: "Although it's a little small, it still has a unique flavor here. It's very lively with people coming and going, and it's very easy to make money. It's also good for entertainment. Hey, bro, do you want me to take you around?  Suifenhe has become prosperous in the past two years, and many Maozi girls have come across the border to work here. Of course, there are also those who do that. It¡¯s good to try something different every now and then.¡±

    Looking at the shopkeeper's lewd smile, Liu Qiang couldn't help but shook his head and asked: "Is the border control so loose?" As an intelligence officer, he instinctively frowned at such a situation. If someone could cross the border so easily, then he would definitely  Some more dangerous, troublesome guys come in.

    The shopkeeper said: "You can say it's loose, it's tight. It's okay for our people to get over, but it's going to be troublesome for the Soviet Union to come over. It's said that the border defense here has a lot of background, and it's reserved for some powerful old men."  Issuing documents to allow them to cross the border to do business, ordinary people can't get through. As for those Yangma, they are the type who turn a blind eye and make money in Suifenhe.  Return it and come back to earn it after you finish spending it.¡±

    Liu Qiang nodded and asked: "Is border trade all barter transactions?"

    "Not entirely. In the first few years, it was basically a matter of exchanging goods for goods. Our miscellaneous clothes and non-staple foods were exchanged for fertilizers from the Soviet Union, and various useful and unused machinery. Later, things sold on the market  There are many stores in Suifenhe such as home appliances and small commodities, and many merchants accept our RMB. Now you can basically use RMB for transactions here. It is said that several Soviet cities across the border have also adopted RMB to a small extent.  Rubles can¡¯t buy anything here, but renminbi can, so renminbi has become in short supply.¡±

    Liu Qiang also knows some basic economics.In theory, the credibility of a currency is not only related to the stability of its currency value, but also related to the goods that can be consumed.  The reason why the U.S. dollar can become the world's reserve currency and international currency is, on the one hand, the international status of the United States, and on the other hand, the U.S.'s strong industrial production capacity allows people to buy basically everything they want with U.S. dollars.  Naturally more popular.

    The situation is similar here. Since the level of industrial production in China has improved, a large number of consumer goods have become available on the market, and products such as textiles, daily chemical products, food, home appliances, small commodities, etc. are all very difficult to obtain in the Far East of the Soviet Union, and  These commodities are basically daily necessities that everyone needs to consume. Rubles cannot buy these, but RMB can, so naturally people have become accustomed to using RMB for consumption.  Anyway, there are Arabic numerals on the banknotes, so I know how many.

    Another problem is that the ruble has continued to depreciate with the decline of the Soviet Union in recent years. Maybe if you sleep in your hands, you will lose a lot the next day. No businessman is willing to suffer this loss, so even some Soviet Union companies in the Far East  When officials become bankrupt, they give up their rubles and store RMB, which can at least maintain their value.

    At this time, the Soviet Far East on the other side of the border is very much like the scene in China from another dimension, perhaps much more serious. Many officials are not doing their jobs properly and are using their power to engage in power rent-seeking.  For example, some local officials and factory directors of Soviet state-owned enterprises have become members of a huge chain of interests.

    Liu Qiang came to the Far East this time just to secure this relationship.

    "We have already hooked up with the military district commander Novozlov who was just transferred from the Far East Military District. Just bribing this guy cost us more than a million. This military district commander is not a good person, and he has taken a fancy to it.  As soon as he took office, he began to prepare to snatch this big piece of cake from the local people in the Soviet Union. It is said that the military and local governments held several secret talks to monopolize the exclusive rights to sell some Chinese products there.

    The shopkeeper curled his lips and said: "This Novozlov is so brave. The last time the Soviets came to the border to transport goods, they didn't even cover it up. The big military trucks were all loaded with active equipment in their warehouses. For  After contacting them, we gritted our teeth and went on, treating it as a relationship. But the second time, people from the Far East Military Region came directly and asked us if we wanted tanks and planes? "

    Liu Qiang also felt dizzy after hearing this, and said to himself: "Has the Soviet army become so corrupt that they even want to sell their main battle equipment?"

    Although the shop owner was disdainful, he still spoke with great enthusiasm. He said: "Why can't we sell tanks and airplanes? We can't fight a war anyway. Are you afraid that someone will investigate? This just talks about training losses and so on. Everyone is like this."  The profiteers are gone as soon as they are covered up. And now those people in the Far East Military Region are just eating and waiting to die. We sold a batch of military rations to them last time, and it seems to suit their taste.  , they used equipment to buy military rations directly from us. None of those officers made a fortune. They bought TVs, refrigerators, etc., and put them in their apartments and dormitories, and they lived like one.  Comfortable. A few brave Soviet officers also bought houses here in Suifenhe. As for the things to enjoy, we don¡¯t have much here."

    Liu Qiang did not doubt the authenticity of this matter. Although he had just arrived in Suifenhe, he saw a large number of restaurants here. Some of them sold barbecue and soy sauce bones, which are relatively rough and bold food in the north. Some of them were more traditional banquets. More importantly,  Because the production capacity is sufficient, there is absolutely no shortage of spirits in Suifenhe.  At first, Lao Maozi came over to drink Baiyu. Later, I don¡¯t know who had the thought to study how to brew vodka, so he opened a local distillery in Heilongjiang and named it "Amur Vodka". Although the taste was mediocre, it was very popular.  Popular with local guys.

    Some restaurants also have bartenders, including those who cross the border to sell sex, and even have karaoke jukeboxes that I don¡¯t know where they got. Of course, there are no trendy songs, but because of the old revolutionary plots in China and the Soviet Union, "  There are still some famous songs such as "Evening on the outskirts of Moscow", "Troika" and "Katyusha".  So the old and powerful people who came to play took the trouble to howl these songs.

    Therefore, it is not just trade that makes Suifenhe prosperous. These wealthy and powerful people who do not do their jobs come here for "tourism consumption" and also contribute a lot of GDP to the local economy.
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