China-Russia Trade Sees Strong Growth in Harbin

Harbin has seen strong growth in e-commerce trade with Russia –– the second largest destination for China’s exports –– over the past six months.

According to information issued by Heilongjiang Airport Group on July 15, in the first half of 2017, Harbin airport operated 85 cargo aircraft and transported 1,830 tons of goods to Russia, representing year-on-year growth of 130 percent.

Heilongjiang, located near the northeast border of China and Russia, has become a core area for China-Russia cross-border e-commerce trade in recent years, highlighting the economic and trade cooperation between the two countries.

In 2016, the value of e-commerce trade between China and Russia reached $2.5 billion, making Russia the second largest destination for Chinese cross-border exports.

Harbin, the capital city of Heilongjiang province, is a key node city for China-Russia trade due to its advantageous location and the Harbin-Yekaterinburg Air Channel, where all the goods sold through the cross-border e-commerce channel can be directly transported to Russia from Harbin airport.

Statistics from Heilongjiang Airport Group reveal that from November 2013 (the date of the first Harbin-Yekaterinburg cargo flight) to June 30, 2017, Harbin operated 355 cargo flights with nearly 500,000 items of cargo to Russia, and the total weight of the goods was 7,525 tons, representing a significant increase in China-Russia e-commerce trade.

To provide better logistics and warehousing for China-Russia cross-border e-commerce, the Heilongjiang Ruston Express Co has established large-scale warehouses in Russia and provides e-commerce businesses with a list of services such as brand maintenance, technical certification, safety certification and after-sales services, which helps boost cross-border e-commerce business.

In addition, Heilongjiang Airport Group has set up a “green channel” for fast China-Russia customs clearance and provides favorable prices for services such as charter aircraft, according to Qiu Jian, a manager of Heilongjiang Airport Group.