China and Russia signed import and export contracts worth US$2.5
billion at the 15th China Harbin Fair for Trade and Economic
Cooperation (CHTF), which ended on Saturday in the capital of
northeast China's Heilongjiang Province.
The Russian deals account for three-quarters (74.8 percent) of
the total contracts signed at this year's fair.
Border trade plays an important role in the economy of
Heilongjiang, the northernmost province of China, which shares a
3,000-kilometre border with Russia, and the provincial government
established a Russian Exhibition Hall at this year's fair. It also
took the unprecedented step of holding a China-Russia forum and
meetings for traders from both sides of the border.
"Heilongjiang has always given priority to trade with Russia in
its cooperation with foreign countries," said provincial Vice
Governor Wang Limin. "We are determined to increase trade with
Russia this year."
The province contributes one-fifth of the total trade between
China and Russia. The figure is expected to soar this year.
As a chief trade partner of Heilongjiang
Province, Russia has responded positively to movement by its
neighbor.
"China's efforts to reform the industrial base in the northeast
region are essentially changing the regional supply and demand
policies, and opening new opportunities for Russia's bilateral
trade with China," said Konstantin Pulikovsky, the presidential
envoy to the Far East of Russia. "Heilongjiang Province is an
important base for China's commodity grain, energy, equipment and
petrochemical industries. We are willing to cooperate with our
neighbor in every way to achieve mutual prosperity."
Headed by Pulikovsky, a Russian delegation of more than 400
people took part in the five-day fair in Harbin. The Russians
displayed not only export products but also investment
projects.
(China Daily June 21, 2004)