Heilongjiang's export to Russia down 3.3%

HARBIN - Trade value between China's northeastern province of Heilongjiang and Russia reached $22.36 billion in 2013, up 5.8 percent, said the Harbin customs authority on Sunday.

Of the total volume that devoured a quarter of the year's China-Russia trade, the province's imports from Russia accounted for $15.45 billion, an increase of 34 percent year on year.

Meanwhile, exports stood at $6.91 billion, down 3.3 percent compared with the previous year, registering a cumulative trade deficit of $8.54 billion.

According to China's General Administration of Customs, China-Russia trade has downshifted, rising only 0.5 percent in January-November, 10 percentage points lower year on year, and concern is growing that trade for the whole year might not grow at all from 2012.