Residents near the Spaceport put flowers in front of a statue of Yuri Gagarin, the first astronaut in space. [Photo by Ren Qi/chinadaily.com.cn]

BLAGOVESHCHENSK, Russia - Under the order of Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2007, the construction of the Kosmodrom Vostochny, or Eastern Spaceport, began in 2012 in the Uglegorsk district of Amurskaya Oblast.

On April 28 this year, Putin witnessed its very first rocket launch.

In May, Chinese correspondents were allowed to interview the space center's key leaders and take photos from inside the center. This lucky China Daily reporter was one of the first Chinese media representatives to go deep into the space center and the rocket launching tower.

The Eastern Spaceport is less than 200 kilometers from the Chinese-Russian border. Experts consider it proof of close ties and a high level of mutual trust.

The Eastern Spaceport's deputy general manager, Alexander Molchanov, told China Daily: "we really welcome you Chinese correspondents to visit the space center, and we are looking forward to having cooperation with Chinese partners when the development of Eastern Spaceport is more mutual."