Translation. Region: Russian Federal
Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
HARBIN, May 20 (Xinhua) — “I really like Russian-made snacks and drinks. I am glad that such a wide range of Russian products are available here. It is worth buying,” said Huang Yulong, a resident of Harbin, the capital of northeast China’s Heilongjiang Province, while visiting the “Made in Russia” festival and fair in the city.
The event was opened by the Russian Export Center (REC) on the sidelines of the 34th Harbin International Economic and Trade Fair, which was held from May 17 to 21.
According to REC, the exhibition area of the fair was more than 1,000 square meters. It presented products from over 100 Russian manufacturers from 50 regions of the country. The assortment included various food products, drinks, biologically active additives /BAA/, as well as jewelry and souvenirs presented in Harbin for the first time. A stand with cosmetics from Russian manufacturers was also created.
“Visitors can try and purchase products in the tasting area, as well as order their favorite products through national Made in Russia stores on leading Chinese marketplaces,” noted REC General Director Veronika Nikishina, naming confectionery, dairy products, and alcoholic beverages as the most popular categories of Russian goods in China, and marketplaces as the main sales channel.
“During the festival-fair, we are holding specialized business-to-business negotiations between Chinese and Russian companies, which provides a unique opportunity to establish important business contacts and expand the horizons of cooperation,” she added.
Irina Lezhacheva, a representative of the Lunskoye More company, a manufacturer of caviar products and fish cooking, expressed hope that thanks to this event their company will be able to find more Chinese partners and establish cooperation with them.
In addition to the traditional business program, this year’s fair will feature entertainment and gaming zones where visitors can evaluate Russian IT developments and gaming industry projects.
“We expect that our game will appeal to Chinese children, students, parents and teachers. They will play it and learn to program,” said Anastasia Starostinskaya, vice president of the Association of Participants of Technological Circles and head of the project office of the National Cyber-Physical Platform “Berloga”.
Let us recall that the current festival-fair is the fifth such event in China. And for the second time, REC is organizing it on the sidelines of the Harbin International Trade and Economic Fair. The event also saw the opening of a Made in Russia retail store in Harbin.
Since the beginning of 2024, REC has already held four Made in Russia festivals and fairs in China. In anticipation of the 2024 Spring Festival, the first fair was held in the cities of Shenyang and Dalian in Liaoning Province /Northeast China/. The second event took place in May in Harbin. The third fair was held in November in Chengdu /the administrative center of Sichuan Province, Southwest China/. The fourth fair was held in Shenyang in January 2025.
According to V. Nikishina, the Made in Russia festivals and fairs demonstrate very significant effects. “To consolidate the fundamental steps towards increasing sales, today we are developing, together with our Chinese partners, a trade infrastructure for promoting Russian products under our national brand. We are opening national expositions, trade missions, permanent offline and online trade points,” she added.
“We opened the first warehouse distribution center in Suifenhe, Heilongjiang Province, with an area of over 4,500 square meters, to supply and continuously provide the Made in Russia retail chain with original and high-quality Russian products,” explained V. Nikishina, noting that the Chinese market is one of the most important and promising in the world for the extensive development of the national brand.
According to her information, currently more than 2.5 thousand product items are available for Chinese buyers on 10 popular electronic trading platforms. It is in China that the widest distribution network of national “Made in Russia” stores is located, sales of which by the end of 2024 increased by 250% compared to the previous year.