The 11th China-Northeast Asia Expo held in Jilin

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At the international commodity pavilion of the 11th China-Northeast Asia Expo, Russian cookies, South Korean cosmetics, and Pakistani furniture are some of the most popular products among Chinese customers.

Drawn by the growing trade between his own country and China, Edward Seleznev, a Russian business owner is bringing his best products to the 11th China-Northeast Asia Expo: “We strongly believe in the market potential here in China, because of our geographical proximity to China, and China’s huge population. We produce syrups, herbal tea, and seed oil, and we find Chinese customers love these things.”

Food is just among the many products the two nations sell to each other.

Since 2010, China has been Russia’s biggest trading partner.

In 2016, bilateral commodity turnover between China and Russia was up by 2.2 percent year on year, standing at nearly 70 billion US dollars.

As China is becoming more open with trade, the country’s northeast region also hopes to use this national strategy to its local advantage.

In recent years, China’s three northeast provinces have been among the slowest-growing parts of the country. But at this event, officials said things are picking up as, in their words, “positive factors keep accumulating.”

According to Liu Nianxiu, Deputy Director of China's National Development and Reform Commission, “Thanks to the improved market and business environment, in the first half of this year, the number of newly-registered enterprises in northeast China increased by almost one-fifth year-on-year, ranking first among the four main regions of China in terms of growth rate.”

Lin said the Chinese government will continue to support northeast China so the area can be more involved in the development of the Belt and Road Initiative, helping boost cooperation with neighboring countries.