Northeast China's
Heilongjiang Province has mapped out plans to boost its trade
with Russia over the next five years.
It is part of a blueprint to upgrade its economic and trade
cooperation strategy.
Province leaders said they hoped it would help it to maintain
its leading role in business relations between China and
Russia.
Wang Limin, vice governor of Heilongjiang Province, said that
full support would be given to upgrade economic and scientific
cooperation with Russia this year.
He said he hopes to make breakthroughs with Russia in the fields
of energy, raw material, processing of agricultural products as
well as border trade. "Both the two sides have a lot in common in
these fields," he said.
The province's unique geographical position makes it the
spearhead in economic cooperation and trade between the two
countries, Wang said.
Sharing a borderline of more than 3,000 kilometers with Russia,
Heilongjiang Province boasts the largest trade partner in the
country, with its overall trade volume with Russia reaching US$5.6
billion last year, nearly one fifth of the nation's whole.
And that figure is expected to be nearly tripled to US$14
billion by 2010, Wang said at the sidelines of a promotion
conference yesterday of the 17th China Harbin International Fair
for Trade and Economic Cooperation, which will be held from June
15-19.
The fair, said Wang, is the province's most important initiative
in attracting foreign capital to the province.
The Ministry of
Commerce, the State Council's Office of the Leading Group for
Revitalizing Northeast China, and China Council for the Promotion
of International Trade, as well as the province, will jointly host
the event.
Some international organizations, including the United Nations
Industrial Development Organization, and 12 government departments
and trade promotion institutions from seven countries and regions
such as Russia, Japan, ROK and Hong Kong will be cosponsors.
The fair has developed into a major international economic and
trade event, Wang said.
"The level and scale of this year's fair is elevated as many
activities during the fair have been listed as part of the events
planned for the '2006 Russian
Year in China'," he said.
Wang revealed that the federal government of Russia has given
huge attention to the fair and will organize a delegation
consisting of enterprises and companies to participate.
"The Harbin trade fair is becoming the biggest and most
important event that faces the vast market of Russia and northeast
Asia," said Yu Guangzhou, vice minister of commerce.
"And the fair can serve as a bridge between the business people
from China and Russia."
(China Daily March 18, 2006)
