A very considerable part of the great Trans-Siberian railway, from the station Manchuli to the station Pogranichnaya, was across a portion of Chinese territory, which, under a Treaty concluded in 1895, was ceded to the Russian Government for a ninety-nine years lease. It was found necessary to build up a parallel railway laid on Russian territory, and the Amur deviation, some 1000 miles, was completed in 1910. The Banque de Paris and the Banque de I'Union Parisienne (closely associated with the chief French railway companies) became, through their Belgian connections, deeply involved in Russian railway loans, and material factories for railways. In 1895, to consolidate French interests, the Russian Government established the Russo-Chinese Bank, known lately as the Russo Asiatic Bank This bank took control of and financed part of the Trans-Siberian, known as the Eastern-Chinese Railway. Passing through Manchuria, this railway brought civilisation and progress to the wild and fertile district of the Northern Manchuria, and such big commercial centres as Harbin, Hailar, Tzitzikar, etc., were founded, and became most important for the trade between China and Russia. From Harbin, a branch was run to the Pacific Ocean at Port Arthur, where Russia founded the famous Port of Dalny (now Dairen), Since the Russo-Japanese War, South Manchuria was taken by the Japanese, and the Chinese-Eastern railway has been a bone of discord between the Soviet, China and Japan since then.