Introduction The competitiveness of the territories is a relevant theme of modem regional economic research. The improvement of the competitiveness of the region lies in the purposeful creation and development of its sustainable and long-term competitive advantages in all fields of activity, and takes place in the increasingly growing competitive struggle among the regions to attract the investments based on creation of a favorable business environment and enhancement of the quality of life. The assessment of the competitiveness of the border territory of the country is specific, because on the one hand, the region competes with other subjects-regions of one and the same country, on the other hand, it competes with the border territory of the neighboring country. The border region is the territory of the state, adjacent to the state border, performing the special border functions and, therefore, having the specific features. The main factors contributing to the specificity of the borderland are its geographical location and type. For example, van der Velde (Velde, 1997) identifies four types of border regions, each of which is defined by the functional dualism of the boundary, which combines the functions of the barrier and the contact: alienated, adjacent, interdependent and integrated border territories. All types of the cross-border inter-regional cooperation are market-driven, are closely interlinked with each other and have a strong mutual influence. In the Russian Federation 48 subjects, five of which (the Primorsky and Khabarovsky Territories, the Amur Region, the Jewish Autonomous Region and the Chita Territory) are bordering China, of 85 top-level territories can be attributed to the to the border territories, and 26 checkpoints are established. The competitiveness of the object inherently is a relative category; accordingly, it is possible to perform its quantitative assessment only based on the comparison with a certain base, such as the condition of the object at different moments of time, the state of comparable objects-competitors or the average, the best, and other countrywise values. The theoretical basis of the study The study of the interpretations given by Russian and Chinese scientists to such concepts as the competitiveness of the regions and the border territory, the analysis of the factors of competitiveness of the regions and the review of methods of assessment being considered by them, allow the authors to offer their own system of factors of competitiveness and the methodical approach to the assessment of the competitiveness of the border territory on the basis of the integral indicator of competitiveness of the assessed border territory with respect to the rival one. A significant contribution to the theory of competitiveness of the countries and regions was made by the studies of Porter (Porter, 1990), the founder of the American school of competitiveness. Fatkhutdinov (Fatkhutdinov, 2005) and Pankrukhin (Pankrukhin, 2010; Pankrukhin, 2013) are rightfully considered the founders of the Russian school of territorial marketing. Having studied the numerous interpretations of the concept of competitiveness of the territory, the following common features can be identified: --the competitiveness of the territory is directly related to the competition and the rivalry between the territories on goods and services markets, and is defined not only by the existing competitive advantages, but also by the level of use of these advantages (Skulches, 2016; Bragin, 2012; Chainikova, 2008; Neretina et al., 2016; Ryzhkova et al., 2015; Akopova and Przhedetskaya, 2016). --the competitiveness of the region is its ability to provide a high level of living standards and the possibilities to fulfill the economic potential available in the region (financial, industrial, labor, investment, resource) (Shekhovtseva, 2001; Wu, 2013; Rubtzov et al. …