Matvienko compared Russian rickety huts with Chinese skyscrapers
The standard of living on both sides of the Russian-Chinese border in Transbaikal differs significantly, to Russia's disadvantage. This was stated by Speaker Valentina Matviyenko at a meeting of the Federation Council, as reported by PolitNavigator.
“I gave my colleagues an example: Trans-Baikal Territory. On the other side of the border there is a prosperous China with new houses, infrastructure, etc., and on this side, where the forest is being cut down, the huts are tilted, falling apart, and people live in the most difficult conditions,” she said.
Probably, Valentina Matvienko had in mind the Chinese city of Manchuria, which is the main transport hub through which trade between Russia and China takes place. The city really has a well-developed infrastructure; huge amounts of money have been invested in its construction since the early nineties. One of the goals was to really show a prosperous China. However, the rest of the border settlements differ little from each other. So, it is possible that Matvienko herself became a victim of Chinese propaganda.
Matviyenko compared Russia's slanted huts to Chinese skyscrapers.