Russia and China are both eying the North Korea port of Najin as a potential shipping hub, according to North Korean foreign ministry officials.
They said Russian Railways President, Vladimir Yakunin, was scheduled to visit North Korea to discuss improving rail links between Russia and Najin.
The officials said Yakunin had told a North Korean delegation, which visited Russia last month, that Russian President Vladimir Putin was interested in the project.
A government official said Russia wanted to use Najin port, which is close to North Korea's Russian and Chinese borders, as a logistics hub and was intending to develop the port into a base for growing the oil and natural gas industry in Siberia. North Korean sources said China was also interested in seeing Najin develop.
'Najin Port is near the Jilin area and China's own ports in the area have already reached their full capacity,' a government official said this week.
Chine is reported to have told North Korea that it is willing to spend $1 billion to develop port facilities, build railroads connecting the port to China and improve existing infrastructure such as highways.
They said Russian Railways President, Vladimir Yakunin, was scheduled to visit North Korea to discuss improving rail links between Russia and Najin.
The officials said Yakunin had told a North Korean delegation, which visited Russia last month, that Russian President Vladimir Putin was interested in the project.
A government official said Russia wanted to use Najin port, which is close to North Korea's Russian and Chinese borders, as a logistics hub and was intending to develop the port into a base for growing the oil and natural gas industry in Siberia. North Korean sources said China was also interested in seeing Najin develop.
'Najin Port is near the Jilin area and China's own ports in the area have already reached their full capacity,' a government official said this week.
Chine is reported to have told North Korea that it is willing to spend $1 billion to develop port facilities, build railroads connecting the port to China and improve existing infrastructure such as highways.