Harbin customs recently opened an export channel combining road and railway transportation to ensure that parcels can be shipped from Harbin to Russia amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Affected by the disease outbreak, 931,000 postal parcels weighing 327.36 metric tons have been stranded in the cottage area of Harbin’s Pingfang district. The packages should have been sent to Russia through the Manzhouli land port in North China’s Inner Mongolia autonomous region.

The new channel changes the exit port from Manzhouli port to Suifenhe port in China’s northernmost Heilongjiang province.

Bingcheng customs has strengthened communication and coordination with relevant departments from Harbin customs, Suifenhe customs and the Heilongjiang Provincial Postal Company. It has also formulated a trial operation mechanism to accelerate customs clearance while maintaining strict virus prevention and control measures.

Russia-bound parcels will now be gathered at a collection site in Pingfang district in Harbin city and loaded on a train to Suifenhe railway port after receiving customs inspection at Harbin’s Xiangfang Railway Station.

On Jan 16, the first batch of 130,000 parcels weighing 44.19 metric tons arrived in Russia through the Suifenhe railway station.