"Harasho, harasho." At the First China-Russia Expo and the 25th "Harbin International Trade Fair," green food products from Lindian County, Heilongjiang Province, won the favor of Chinese and foreign visitors. The entire booth was completely surrounded by Russian merchants and tourists, who tasted the green food "large mixed noodles" prepared by staff while giving a thumbs-up.

"This year our county will focus on promoting green and organic food and several other projects. At the same time, we are exhibiting specialty products such as refined processing of miscellaneous grains and beans, as well as building materials. Through all-round publicity and promotion of our county's resources, industries and project advantages, we aim to attract domestic and foreign merchants to invest and start businesses in Lindian and pursue development together," said Ren Liyan, deputy director of the Lindian County Industry and Information Technology Bureau.

At the First China-Russia Expo, cities across Heilongjiang Province played to their strengths and their Russia cards, showing their "true capabilities" one after another. Through negotiations, seminars and other forms, they sought to achieve greater success in cooperation with Russia.

Russia shares China's longest border. In 2013, China-Russia bilateral trade reached a record US$89.2 billion. China has become Russia's largest trading partner. In 2014, China-Russia relations were elevated to a new stage of comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership, marking a new historical milestone in bilateral relations. At present, political mutual trust, economic mutual trust and strategic mutual trust between China and Russia have reached an unprecedented height, with the two sides stating that bilateral trade should reach US$100 billion by 2015.

"The Russian side has proposed supporting the construction of the Silk Road Economic Belt, promoting connectivity of transport infrastructure, and welcoming Chinese participation in the development of the Russian Far East," said Liu Gang, secretary of the Heihe Municipal Party Committee. These developments bring major historical opportunities for the growth of border port cities. China's action plan for vitalizing border areas and enriching the people, the outline plan for opening Northeast China to Northeast Asia, the plan for opening and development along the border in Heilongjiang and northeastern Inner Mongolia, as well as Russia's federal targeted program for economic and social development of the Far East and Baikal region through 2013 and its strategy for social and economic development of the Far East and Baikal region through 2025, all provide strong policy support for prosperity and development of the two countries' border areas and for strengthening infrastructure construction and economic, trade and cultural exchanges. Heilongjiang Province is actively building the eastern land Silk Road Economic Belt and plans to submit Heihe together with Harbin, Suifenhe and Heixiazi Island as a bundled application for a free trade zone. Heihe and the Russian side have reached consensus on jointly producing a revised version of the agreement on building the Heilongjiang Bridge and drafting an intergovernmental agreement on construction of a cross-river cableway, providing an important opportunity to accelerate Heihe's opening-up and corridor construction.

While border cities seek new opportunities for cooperation with Russia, Qiqihar, a national old industrial base, highlighted two major themes at this China-Russia Expo: advancing project construction and external economic, trade, scientific and technological cooperation. Adhering to the principle of combining investment attraction with product exhibition and sales, with import and export trade and external economic and technological cooperation as the main body, and focusing on equipment manufacturing, green food, commerce and logistics, and high-tech industries, the city expanded publicity on opening-up, strengthened domestic and international economic and technological cooperation, fully demonstrated its economic strength, and enhanced its international visibility and influence. According to reports, Qiqihar seized the historical opportunity of the China-Russia Expo to actively publicize the city's economy, products, resource advantages and intentions for cooperation with Russia, increase opportunities for enterprises to contact and exchange with Russian merchants, help enterprise groups such as Heilongjiang Jinghong Petroleum, Heihua Group, China First Heavy Industries and Antai Biological Company implement the "going global" strategy, and attract strong Russian enterprises to invest and cooperate in Qiqihar. It strengthened ties with the Manzhouli port, made full use of "two resources and two markets," accelerated effective stimulation of economic development in western Heilongjiang with Qiqihar as the center, achieved effective complementarity with the Suifenhe port, expanded a new corridor for trade with Russia in northwestern Northeast China, and promoted healthy and sustainable development of bilateral economic and trade cooperation.

During the China-Russia Expo, Suifenhe held a special promotion of multiple service platforms it is building with full effort in serving China-Russia cooperation and building the eastern land-sea Silk Road Economic Belt. Zhao Lianjun, secretary of the Suifenhe Municipal Party Committee, said that as an important port for China-Russia economic and trade cooperation, Suifenhe gives play to its role as a bridgehead and hub. Starting from improving port functions, building cooperation platforms and perfecting customs clearance services, it has taken multiple measures to serve Chinese and Russian enterprises and promote sustained, healthy and rapid development of China-Russia economic and trade cooperation. It established the China-Russia Legal Service Center and the China-Russia Import and Export Commodity Certification Center, promoted facilitation of port customs clearance services, and prepared to host the Second China International Port Trade Expo. All these are important measures for Suifenhe to serve China-Russia cooperation, serve Chinese and Russian enterprises and serve Longjiang's development.

Similarly, Xunke County, a border county, also held a seminar on cooperation and development with Russia during the China-Russia Expo. Participants agreed that Xunke Port's cooperation with Russia should integrate two major resources, highlight priorities, strengthen planning, highlight the eco-tourism brand, develop rural ethnic-characteristic tourism and border river tourism, and build good projects for cooperation with Russia such as a high-latitude cold-region vegetable export base and a China-Russia gem and jewelry city.