◇ In September 2023, General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized the need to build a new highland for my country to open up to the north during his inspection in Heilongjiang. We will better coordinate the construction of trade, investment, channels and platforms, boldly explore and try first in terms of market access, factor flow, and institutional opening up, and form a new pattern of all-round opening up to the outside world. Accelerate the construction of important land corridors, rivers and sea waterways, energy pipelines and other infrastructure, and improve the transportation network open to Northeast Asia. It is necessary to strengthen the innovative development of open platforms such as free trade pilot zones and comprehensive bonded zones, deeply integrate into the joint construction of the "Belt and Road", and actively participate in regional cooperation.

◇Going east can embrace the sea, going west can reach Europe directly, going north can reach the North Pole, and going south has a broad scope for regional cooperation-Heilongjiang Province has become an important transportation channel, energy channel, economic and trade channel, and people-to-people exchanges in my country.

◇World 5G Conference, China International New Materials Industry Expo, Harbin International Economic and Trade Fair... Heilongjiang Province has deepened exchanges with countries co-building the "Belt and Road" by holding a series of international events. On the basis of consolidating the market in Northeast Asia, the scope of radiation extends to Europe and other regions.

◇Heilongjiang also relies on 8 national-level foreign trade transformation and upgrading bases, 4 provincial-level foreign trade transformation and upgrading bases, and 7 high-level export consumer goods processing zones and other bases or platforms to promote cooperation with coastal areas, guide processing trade enterprises to transfer to Heilongjiang Province, and create a demonstration park for undertaking industrial transfers.

◇In the past five years, the China (Heilongjiang) Pilot Free Trade Zone has planted "experimental fields" into "high-yield fields", contributing about one-fifth of the province's actual use of foreign investment and sevenths of the province's area with three-thousandth of its area. One foreign trade import and export has carried out in-depth exploration around cooperation with Russia, reducing logistics costs, cultivating characteristic industries and new business formats and new models, and has successfully produced more than 300 institutional innovation results.

Looking at the map of China, Heilongjiang Province lives on the northeastern border of a rooster; looking at the world map, it is located in the center of Northeast Asia and at the forefront of China's opening up to the north.

In September 2023, General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized the need to build a new highland for my country to open to the north during his inspection in Heilongjiang. We will better coordinate the construction of trade, investment, channels and platforms, boldly explore and try first in terms of market access, factor flow, and institutional opening up, and form a new pattern of all-round opening up to the outside world. Accelerate the construction of important land corridors, rivers and sea waterways, energy pipelines and other infrastructure, and improve the transportation network open to Northeast Asia. It is necessary to strengthen the innovative development of open platforms such as free trade pilot zones and comprehensive bonded zones, deeply integrate into the joint construction of the "Belt and Road", and actively participate in regional cooperation.

As a result, promoting the construction of Heilongjiang's new highland opening to the north has become an important step for China to optimize its regional opening layout.

In October 2023, the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee held a meeting to review the "Opinions on Several Policies and Measures to Further Promote the Comprehensive Revitalization of Northeast China to Achieve New Breakthroughs in the New Era" and make arrangements for Heilongjiang to build a new pattern of all-round and high-level opening up to the north.

Since then, the Heilongjiang Provincial Party Committee and the Provincial Government have integrated and integrated the contents of documents such as the "Implementation Plan for Deepening Strategic Cooperation with Russia","Implementation Opinions on Promoting the Expansion of Foreign Trade Scale and Optimizing Structure" and "Several Measures on Optimizing the Foreign Investment Environment and Increasing Attracting Foreign Investment", etc. The Heilongjiang Provincial Party Committee and the Provincial Government have issued "Several Measures on Accelerating the Construction of my Country's New Highland for Opening to the North" to seize major opportunities, build an open platform, upgrade trade levels, and give full play to the role of the main province in economic and trade cooperation with Russia. Provide better services to build a new pattern of mutually beneficial cooperation between China and Russia and accelerate the creation of a new highland for my country's opening up to the north. In the first half of this year, the total import and export value of goods trade in Heilongjiang Province was 156.38 billion yuan, exceeding 150 billion yuan for the first time in the same period in history, reaching a new high.

Xu Qin, Secretary of the Heilongjiang Provincial Party Committee, said that Heilongjiang has thoroughly implemented the spirit of the important instructions of General Secretary Xi Jinping's important speech, fully, accurately and comprehensively implemented the new development concept, actively served and integrated into the construction of a new development pattern, promoted the construction of the opening up of Longjiang River, and adhered to the world's vision and international standards., enhance cutting-edge awareness and openness awareness, actively integrate into and serve the joint construction of the "Belt and Road", gather high-quality domestic and foreign resource elements, and better integrate into domestic and international markets. Accelerate the construction of a new highland for opening up to the north and promote high-quality revitalization and development with high-level opening up to the outside world.

At Harbin International Container Center Station, staff are conducting pre-departure inspections (photo taken on March 14, 2024). Photo by Zhang Tao/This magazine

Spread a new blueprint for open cooperation

Heilongjiang Province is located in the northernmost and easternmost part of the motherland, with a border line of more than 2900 kilometers. This is a border and a frontier of opening up-it is located in the core area of Northeast Asia, an important node in the joint construction of the "Belt and Road", and a large province open along the country's borders. The former cold border land has become an open land in the new era. A huge blueprint for building a new highland opening to the north has been unfolded in the northeastern corner of China.

Expansion and upgrading of "two-way investment". "Heilongjiang Province has many advantages such as high-tech and originality. It is open to Italy and the world." Giancarlo Elia Valory, President of the Italian International World Group and former Chairman of the National Congress of the Italian Enterprise Confederation, led Italian entrepreneurs and Heilongjiang enterprises at the "Italian Entrepreneurs Journey to Longjiang" event held in April. Carry out negotiations and exchanges with interest.

Introduce measures to optimize foreign investment, implement national treatment for foreign-funded enterprises, and promote the implementation of landmark foreign investment projects... Heilongjiang Province has taken various measures to improve the quality of foreign investment utilization, guide foreign investment in mid-to-high-end manufacturing, high-tech, traditional manufacturing transformation and upgrading, modern services and other fields, actively undertake the gradient transfer of foreign-funded enterprises that have been established in the eastern region by Europe, America, Japan and South Korea and other countries and regions, and use bridge carriers such as internationally renowned consulting institutions and overseas business associations. Extensively connect with overseas enterprises and establish smooth and efficient communication channels between government departments and foreign-funded enterprises.

In order to strengthen foreign investment cooperation, Heilongjiang Province actively supports advantageous industries such as power station equipment, heavy machinery, and rolling stock to "go global" and carry out foreign investment and transnational operations.

Improve the quality and efficiency of trade with Russia. In Heihe City, Heilongjiang Province, which is across the river from Blagoveshchensk, the third largest city in the Russian Far East, high-quality non-genetically modified soybeans produced in Russia are piled into hills in the warehouse of Beifeng Far East Agricultural Development Co., Ltd. in Heihe City. This year, the company built a new automated oil-pressing production line that handles 60,000 tons of soybeans per year. The originally stored soybeans were not enough, so it decided to import another 10,000 tons of Russian soybeans.

"This equipment is an automated processing line for ancient crushing with a daily processing capacity of about 50 tons. It can transport the non-genetically modified soybeans we grow in Russia to China for re-processing." said Zhou Rui, manager of the company's No. 1 Park.

In recent years, China-Russia cooperation has continued to deepen. As a major cooperation province with Russia, Heilongjiang vigorously promotes the improvement of quality and efficiency of trade with Russia, and actively builds trade import bases with Russia such as energy minerals, grain, wood and pulp, aquatic animals and chilled aquatic products, petrochemical products, and Chinese medicinal materials; Build trade and export centers with Russia such as automobiles and engineering transportation vehicles, home appliances and information products, fruits and vegetables and agricultural products, shoes, hats, bags and light and textile products, and intensify the introduction of production enterprises such as electromechanical, light and textile to enhance export and supply capabilities to Russia.

With the implementation of quality improvement and upgrading actions, Heilongjiang Province has accelerated the development of cross-border e-commerce with Russia, promoted the high-quality development of four cross-border e-commerce comprehensive test zones in Harbin, Heihe, Suifenhe, and Tongjiang, expanded the scale of overseas warehouse construction, expanded border warehouse layout, improved warehousing and distribution capabilities, and reduced cross-border logistics service costs.

In Suifenhe City, an important Russian commodity distribution center in my country, cross-border e-commerce is booming. Luo Haitao, Secretary of the Suifenhe Municipal Party Committee, said that as the fourth batch of cross-border e-commerce comprehensive test areas in the country, Suifenhe actively explores practice, promotes reform and innovation, and the scale of cross-border e-commerce import and export is stable and improving. Last year, Suifenhe e-commerce transaction volume exceeded 10 billion yuan.

Diversify and expand the international market. As the door to openness opens wider and wider, Heilongjiang's international "circle of friends" continues to expand: deepen cooperation with countries co-building the "Belt and Road"; promote the implementation of Heilongjiang Province's docking with the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (RCEP) to deepen cooperation with Japan, South Korea and ASEAN, Australia and New Zealand; strengthen cooperation with the Middle East, Central Asia, and Africa in energy and mineral development, oil exploration, infrastructure construction and other fields, and expand emerging trade markets such as the Middle East, Latin America, and Africa; Consolidate the trade base with the United States, Canada, Brazil and other American countries, expand the trade scale of agricultural products, mineral products, energy products and other bulk commodities, as well as complete sets of equipment, raw materials and other electromechanical and chemical products; deepen trade with EU countries, expand agricultural deep processing, The scale of import and export trade in high-end equipment manufacturing, automobiles and other products...

Data from Harbin Customs shows that in the first half of the year, Heilongjiang Province's import and export scale to countries co-building the "Belt and Road" and other BRICS countries continued to expand. Among them, imports and exports to countries co-building the "Belt and Road" were 135.3 billion yuan, an increase of 12.7%, accounting for 86.5% of the province's total foreign trade value, a year-on-year increase of 2.3 percentage points. During the same period, imports and exports to other nine BRICS countries were 121.44 billion yuan, an increase of 14.2%, accounting for 77.7% of the province's total foreign trade value, a year-on-year increase of 3.1 percentage points.

The vehicle is driving on the Heihe-Blagoveshchensk Heilongjiang Bridge (photographed on January 30, 2024). Photo by Xie Jianfei/This newspaper

Smooth new channels connecting Europe and Asia

Heilongjiang Province is the second largest port province in the country, with 27 national first-class ports. It is an important window for my country to open to the north and the forefront of opening up and cooperation with Russia. Going east can embrace the sea, going west can reach Europe directly, going north can reach the North Pole, and going south has a broad scope for regional cooperation-Heilongjiang Province has become an important transportation channel, energy channel, economic and trade channel, and people-to-people exchanges in my country.

All-round interconnection of sea, land and air. Nowadays, in the Tongjiang Railway Port's reloading station yard, towering gantry tower cranes carry out loading and unloading operations on imported goods from China-Europe freight trains in an orderly manner. The scene is a busy scene.

Break through 2000 rows! China Railway Harbin Bureau Group Co., Ltd. recently announced that in the first half of the year, a total of 2899 trains were passed through the Manzhouli, Suifenhe and Tongjiang railway ports of the "East Corridor" of China-Europe freight trains and transported 304,000 TEUs of goods, a record high for the same period in history.

"Cargo transportation time is saved by two-thirds, and the transportation distance is reduced by one-half..." Liang Chuan, director of Harbin International Container Center Station, said that previously, some local companies relied on sea containers for cargo transportation, but now they use China-Europe freight trains (Harbin-Tilburg) can save a lot of time and is more conducive to enterprises exploring the European market.

The person in charge of China Railway Harbin Bureau Group Co., Ltd. said that at present, the "East Corridor" of China-Europe freight trains has reached 14 European countries, connects more than 60 domestic cities, and has 26 traffic lines. Transportation products cover electrical products, daily necessities, 12 major categories such as industrial machinery.

In order to implement the actions to improve the quality of channel logistics interconnection, Heilongjiang Province actively explores new cross-border transportation channels, expands land-sea and river-sea combined transportation, and increases air channels. Accelerate the construction of Harbin's international air cargo hub and international logistics distribution hub, accelerate the second phase expansion of Harbin Taiping International Airport, and promote projects such as new airports in Hegang and Suihua and the reconstruction and expansion of Jiamusi, Heihe, Mudanjiang and Jiagdaqi airports.

Expand energy channels to support on-site processing. At the Heihe first station of the China-Russia Eastern Route Natural Gas Pipeline, the intertwined pipelines are shining in the sun, and various parameters on the large screen in the control room are constantly flashing. This is the "first stop at the national gate" of the China-Russia Eastern Route Natural Gas Pipeline. Zhang Chao, Secretary of the Party Committee of the Harbin Oil and Gas Transmission Branch of the State Pipeline Network, introduced that with the successive commissioning of the pipelines from Heihe, Heilongjiang to Taixing, Jiangsu on the China-Russia east line, the eastern energy channel of my country has been fully connected, and clean energy from Siberia has entered the Xiaoxing 'an Mountains, providing the Three northeastern provinces, Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei, Bohai Rim and Yangtze River Delta regions have injected strong impetus into energy security and high-quality development.

Energy and minerals are key areas of China-Russia cooperation. The Northeast region is adjacent to the Russian Far East and has unique geographical advantages. Heilongjiang actively expands the import of crude oil, natural gas, electricity, iron ore, coal, wood, chemical fertilizers and other energy resource commodities, and supports implementation of processing.

As one of my country's earliest private enterprises to explore trade with Russia, Xuanyuan Group, established in 1988, is a leading enterprise in cooperation with Russia in Heilongjiang Province. Xue Xingfa, chairman of Xuanyuan Group, said that the Russian Far East is rich in energy and mineral resources and is adjacent to Heilongjiang Province. There are broad prospects for Sino-Russian energy cooperation here.

Improve port infrastructure and functions. In March this year, as Heihe took the lead in resuming border tourism certification business in other places in Heilongjiang Province, the number of Russians coming across Heilongjiang to travel and consume continued to increase. A large number of "foreign faces" have appeared in the Heihe morning market. They taste Chinese breakfasts such as soy milk, fried dough sticks, tea eggs, and steamed buns here. They even developed a creative way to eat "steamed buns with beer", and then bought some high-quality and low-priced Chinese products to return home. When coming to China for breakfast became a new fashion for Russians, the Heihe International Night Market also came into being this summer, and it was also crowded.

Li Xiwen, Secretary of the Heihe Municipal Party Committee, said that Heihe City is an important "intersection" between my country's Northeast Revitalization Strategy and Russia's Far East Development Strategy. It has outstanding location advantages, complete channel system and huge development potential. It faces Blagoveshchensk across the Heilongjiang River. The closest distance between the two cities is about 700 meters. It is the corresponding city with the "closest distance, the largest scale, the highest specifications and the most complete functions" on the Sino-Russian border. It is called the "China-Russia Twin Cities".

At the construction site of the world's first international cross-border passenger ropeway project-the Heihe-Blagoveshchensk Cross-Heilongjiang ropeway project, not far from the Heihe Port, the main body of the Chinese ropeway tower has been completed.

At one time, the issue of customs clearance at China-Russia ports was one of the key points that restricted cooperation between the two countries. In order to solve this problem, Heilongjiang Province actively solved the problem of difficult and blocking points in port construction and improved the efficiency of port customs clearance. In particular, we plan to promote the construction of new ports, promote the relocation of Heihe Water Transport Port and the construction of cross-river cableways.

In April this year, an international flight carrying 1000 kilograms of live snow crabs from the Barents Sea arrived at Harbin Taiping International Airport and was cleared after customs inspection. This is the first time that imported edible aquatic animals have been transported by air in Heilongjiang Province, marking the official operation of the designated supervision site for imported edible aquatic animals at Harbin Taiping International Airport. This means that more and more high-quality seafood from the Barents Sea will be transported to Heilongjiang Province through "air channels" to enrich people's tables.

The relevant person in charge of the Port Office of Heilongjiang Province stated that it will actively promote the application at relevant border ports for the construction of designated supervision sites for imported edible aquatic animals, imported grain and meat, and imported chilled aquatic products, and encourage enterprises to broaden channels, increase categories, create brands, improve supply systems, sales networks and industrial chains, and create an import distribution center for specialty products that radiates across the country.

People watch the exhibition in the Harbin City exhibition area of the 8th China-Russia Expo (photo taken on May 18, 2024). Photo by Zhang Tao/This magazine

Build a new platform for mutually beneficial sharing

A hundred years ago, Harbin was built for railways and connected with the world, becoming one of the economic and cultural centers of the Far East; today, it has attracted much attention for high-level opening up platforms such as the China-Russia Expo.

After ten years of accumulation, the 8th China-Russia Expo was grandly held in Harbin in May this year. As the highest-level and largest comprehensive exhibition between China and Russia, since the China-Russia Expo was first held in 2014, more than 7200 Chinese and Russian companies and more than 1.05 million merchants have participated, with a total of 446.8 billion yuan signed contracts. Reflecting the grand new picture of China's opening up to the north.

Improve the ability to undertake foreign trade promotion platforms. Heilongjiang, which is striving to open up, does not stop at the China-Russia Expo. World 5G Conference, China International New Materials Industry Expo, Harbin International Economic and Trade Fair... Heilongjiang Province has deepened exchanges with countries co-building the "Belt and Road" by holding a series of international events. On the basis of consolidating the market in Northeast Asia, the scope of radiation extends to Europe and other regions.

Build a platform for displaying results, build a platform to promote internal and external dual circulation exchanges, and consolidate the investment promotion cooperation platform. Chen Shijun, president of the Heilongjiang Province Council for the Promotion of International Trade, introduced that Heilongjiang Province has organized enterprises to carry out trade negotiations, investment cooperation and other docking activities by improving the professionalism and internationalization level of platforms such as the China-Russia Expo, China (Heilongjiang) International Green Food and National Soybean Industry Expo, and the Sui Expo. Make good use of exhibition support policies and actively organize enterprises to participate in national-level foreign-related exhibitions such as the Canton Fair, China International Import Expo, Consumer Expo, and Service Trade Fair to help enterprises grab orders and expand markets.

In addition, Heilongjiang also relies on 8 national-level foreign trade transformation and upgrading bases, 4 provincial-level foreign trade transformation and upgrading bases, and 7 high-level export consumer goods processing zones and other bases or platforms to promote cooperation with coastal areas and guide processing trade enterprises to move to Heilongjiang Province, and create a demonstration park for undertaking industrial transfers.

Connect with national regional development strategies. "Shenzhen-Kazakhstan Cooperation-a Great handshake in the New Era." On the creative and cultural wall of the Shen-Harbin Industrial Park Comprehensive Exhibition Center in Harbin New District, several large characters are particularly eye-catching.

Shenzhen is a special zone of reform and opening up that opens the door to exchanges between China and the world. Relying on the Shenzhen-Harbin Industrial Park, Shenzhen and Harbin jointly sang the "Tale of Two Cities" of economic growth.

Xu Hua, deputy general manager of Shenzhen (Harbin) Industrial Park Investment and Development Co., Ltd., said that since 2019, Shenzhen-Harbin Industrial Park has replicated 105 advanced experiences and successful practices such as Shenzhen's separation of bidding, evaluation and evaluation. The core area of the park has completed a total investment of 5.12 billion yuan., a total of 662 registered enterprises with a registered capital of 23.91 billion yuan, and successfully introduced Fortune 500 companies such as Huawei and Siling Robot. It has been listed by the National Development and Reform Commission as a typical experience in counterpart cooperation and promoted nationwide, and has been established by the Ministry of Science and Technology as a pilot demonstration area to empower the revitalization of Northeast China.

Opening up internally and opening up to the outside world is an "open" whole. The relevant person in charge of the Development and Reform Commission of Heilongjiang Province introduced that Heilongjiang actively undertakes industrial transfers from the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, Yangtze River Delta, Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and other regions; implements a new round of Long-Guangdong counterpart cooperation agreements and organizes economic and trade cooperation and exchange activities between the two provinces; Promote the construction of counterpart cooperation parks in various cities (prefectures); accelerate the construction of Shenzhen-Harbin Industrial Park and build a number of major projects with high quality and strong impact; Accelerate the construction of Harbin-Changsha urban agglomeration, promote and improve the multi-level normalized coordination mechanism, and promote the formation of more cooperation consensus with other northeastern provinces (regions) on industrial cooperation, green development, and expanded opening up.

Implement the upgrade action of the free trade pilot zone. In May this year, with a long whistle, a special timber train from Tomsk Oblast in Russia slowly drove into the Heihe area of the China (Heilongjiang) Pilot Free Trade Zone... This marked the Tomsk Oblast to Heihe City's timber special line has officially entered a new stage of normal operation.

The complementarity of forestry resources between China and Russia has given birth to a cross-border wood processing industrial cluster in the Heihe area of the China (Heilongjiang) Pilot Free Trade Zone. "In Amur Oblast, Russia, we have a 12,000-square-meter factory that produces primary processed products such as rotary cut veneers, and then ships them back to Heihe for deep processing." Yang Zhendong, deputy general manager of Heilongjiang New Silk Road Forest Products Co., Ltd., introduced that the daily processing capacity of the Heihe factory has reached 100 cubic meters, and its products are widely used in furniture manufacturing and interior decoration.

This is a microcosm of the innovative development of the China (Heilongjiang) Pilot Free Trade Zone in the past five years. Since its listing in August 2019, this northernmost free trade pilot zone in China has shouldered the important task of building my country's regional cooperation hub with Russia and Northeast Asia, and has marked the footsteps of Heilongjiang's continuous deepening and practical opening up to the outside world.

Try boldly, venture boldly, and change independently. In the past five years, the China (Heilongjiang) Pilot Free Trade Zone has planted "experimental fields" into "high-yield fields", contributing about one-fifth of the province's actual use of foreign investment and sevenths of the province's total area. One foreign trade import and export has carried out in-depth exploration in cooperation with Russia, reducing logistics costs, cultivating characteristic industries and new business formats and new models, and has successfully produced more than 300 institutional innovation results. Heilongjiang Province also proposed a strategy to promote the upgrading of the free trade pilot zone, formulated a plan to deepen reform and opening up in the free trade pilot zone, stimulate the vitality and endogenous motivation of the district's industrial development, focus on leading industries, draw on the experience of advanced regions, and carry out accurate replication and promotion and institutional innovation with Russian characteristics.

In June this year, the "China (Heilongjiang) Pilot Free Trade Zone Regulations" officially came into effect.

Liang Huiling, Governor of Heilongjiang Province, said that Heilongjiang Province will deepen practical cooperation in the field of foreign economic and trade, actively expand diversified international markets, strengthen the construction of open channels, continue to improve port efficiency, innovate and develop open platforms such as the Pilot Free Trade Zone and Harbin New Area, support people-to-people exchanges and people-to-people external exchanges, continue to optimize the business environment, accelerate the construction of a new highland for my country's opening up to the north, and form a new pattern of all-round opening up to the outside world. (text？| "Outlook" News Weekly reporter？ Gu Qianjiang and？ Li Jianping)