Export processing zones, the major venues of Sino-Russian trade in Heilongjiang, witnessed steady growth in trade with Russia in the first quarter of this year.

According to the provincial statistics bureau of Heilongjiang, total export and import volume in these zones, scattered around the province's border cities, reached $937 million in the first three months of this year, increasing 6.9 percent year-on-year and accounting for 33.7 percent of the province's total foreign trade volume. Exports were valued at $300.7 million, growing 2.5 percent year-on-year, and imports amounted to $636.3 million, increasing 9.11 percent from the same period last year.

In Suifenhe, a city home to Heilongjiang's largest export processing zone, trade activities are especially profitable.

Garments, footwear, electronic and machinery products, and agricultural products are the pillars of the city's exports this year as well, with its exports of electronic and machinery products valued at $61.27 million in January, increasing 33.11 percent year-on-year.

Timber, crude oil, fertilizers, paper and pulp are the city's major imports from Russia. In the first three months of 2007, imports of timber were valued at $179.6 million, growing 13.59 percent year-on-year. Import of fertilizers and pulp amounted to $95.5 million and $51.3 million respectively, increasing 13.98 percent and 74.23 percent from the same period last year.

Realizing the city's unique advantages in Sino-Russian trade, many domestic enterprises engaged in such trade have chosen Suifenhe as the headquarters of their operations.

Aiming to build a headquarters economy, the local government has given due support to these enterprises, offering financial and policy support to the large projects settled there, in order to help them strengthen competitiveness in the international market.

Driven by the booming foreign trade, Suifenhe has also achieved impressive progress in all economic sectors in the first three months of the year.

During the period, the city's total output value reached 833.7 million yuan, increasing 13.6 percent year-on-year, while its fiscal revenues hit 421.8 million yuan, growing 1.6 times from the same period of last year. In addition, a total of 164,000 travelers arrived in or departed from Suifenhe, including 99,053 sightseeing tourists.