Sun Yao, Vice Governor of Heilongjiang Province, introduces preparations for the 24th China Harbin International Economic and Trade Fair at a press conference in Beijing on April 12 (YU LINTAO)

The 24th China Harbin International Economic and Trade Fair is scheduled to open on June 15 in Harbin, capital of northeast China's Heilongjiang Province. The State Information office of China announced details of the five-day event during a press conference in Beijing on April 12.

Sun Yao, Vice Governor of the Heilongjiang Province, said this year's trade fair will adhere to the principles of "highlighting Russia, facing Northeast Asia, connecting the world, and serving all of China." The event promotes economic, trade, scientific and technological cooperation in Northeast Asia. 

The fair will host a number of economic and trade activities promoting trade cooperation between China and various international regions.

Heilongjiang is China's top province for conducting trade and economic cooperation with Russia. In 2012, Heilongjiang's total import and export trade volume with Russia reached $21.31 billion, accounting for about a quarter of China's total trade with Russia. And its investment in Russia also accounted for nearly a third of China's total investment in Russia.

Sun noted that the fair will also help to deepen the strategic cooperative partnership between China and Russia and will give full play to Heilongjiang's status as economic bridgehead.

Heilongjiang is now establishing modern cross-border trade cooperation between China and Russia, developing international border ports and pushing forward the establishment of a Sino-Russian cooperative pilot region, Sun continued. 

The fair is a platform to promote bilateral complementarity in terms of investments and commodities between China and Russia. It will attract more Chinese capital to boost bilateral cooperation on the electricity, energy, logistics, mining and infrastructure industries, said Sun. 

The yearly event has become a local feature of the city. Nearly 1.9 million exhibitors from more than 80 countries and regions have taken part in the fair since it was first held in 1990.