Suifenhe's Russian connection

Suifenhe, a small city with a population of 150,000 in southeast Heilongjiang bordering Russia, has made rapid strides on the export front in recent times. Last year the city's exports and imports surpassed $5.8 billion, representing a 25 percent increase over 2007. The local gross output value rose 20.7 percent to $6.1 billion.

Its trade value from Russia accounts for one-third of the gross trade value of Heilongjiang province, and is equal to one-tenth of the whole country. The city's rail network has a cargo capacity of 10 million tons and can transport over 1.5 million people.

"Nearly everybody in Suifenhe speaks Russian," said E Zhongqi, Party Secretary. "The trading volume with Russia was $3.5 billion last year, accounting for nearly 60 percent of Suifenhe's overseas trading volumes," he said.