It is on the Russian border, on the south bank of the Amur River, across the river from the Russian city of Blagoveshchensk. Heihe has a population of about 113,000.

Today Heihe, which forms a free-trade zone with Blagoveshchensk, is a major centre of Sino-Russian trade. Many Russians and Chinese take advantage of Visa-free travel between the cities, which has spurred large unofficial trade between China and Russia.

Transportation between Blagoveshchensk and Heihe is by boat in the summer and by bus over the frozen river in the winter; when the ice is too weak to carry buses, the route is operated by hovercrafts.