The city of Harbin, Heilongjiang province has been singled out for pilot projects in the service sector to highlight its role in cooperating with Russia and as a strategic move to revitalize its old industrial base.

The news came after a Feb 14 State Council meeting, chaired by Premier Li Keqiang, in an announcement that said, "Over the next two years, the government will take innovative steps the develop the service trade in the cities of Tianjin and Shanghai and Hainan province and seven other cities and provinces, as well as five new district, such as the one in Harbin.”

The new move calls for the Chinese government to come up with special policies for Harbin’s new district, such as tax breaks for technology-based service enterprises and financial support for small-and-medium-sized companies and concludes by saying that, in view of the serious global economic situation, China needs to make a greater effort in its opening up.