Construction of an industrial zone, aimed at improving technological and trade cooperation with Russia, is underway in Harbin, capital of northeast China's Heilongjiang Province.

The zone will focus mainly on technological cooperation with Russia in the fields of telecommunication, bioengineering and new medicine, aviation, new materials, environmental protection, and other sectors, Li Zhiheng, director with the management committee of the zone, told a press conference here Thursday.

The industrial platform, covering an area of 2 million square meters in its initial developmental stage, will serve as an incubator to transform advanced technologies from Russia into products which could enter the world market.

A first group of five Chinese companies have taken residence in the zone, said Li, adding that 30 firms have shown interests in joining.

The industrial zone is expected to expand to 20 million square meters after long-term development, making itself China's largest industrial base, targeting technological and trade cooperation with Russia, said Fei Yuhai, deputy director with the management committee.

Song Kui, researcher with Heilongjiang Provincial Academy of Social Sciences, acknowledged that the establishment of the zone in Harbin will help to upgrade Sino-Russian technological cooperation and optimize the configuration of traditional trade, which has seen irregular cross-border exchanges of labor-intensive products including textile, clothing and machinery.

Abounding in natural resources, Heilongjiang enjoys great geological advantages in developing trade with Russia. The traditional old industrial base in China's northernmost region reported nearly 4 billion US dollars in its trade with Russia last year, or 20 percent of China's total trade turnover with the northern neighbor in the year.

Source: Xinhua