Vehicles from Harbin are loaded onto trains, ready to be exported to Russia. [Photo/Harbin News Network]

In recent years, as the shares for European, American, and Japanese cars significantly decreased in Russia, Chinese car companies have filled the market gap.
 
With its unique geographical advantage, Harbin, the capital city of China's northernmost Heilongjiang province, is pioneering a new frontier in opening up through the coordinated efforts of the "logistics + trade" model.
 
In December 2022, Harbin was designated by the country as a pilot area for used car exports.
 
In 2023, Harbin cleared 3,198 vehicles for export, with a total export value of 531 million yuan ($72.74 million), ranking at the forefront among other pilot cities nationwide. The main export destinations of these vehicles were Russia and Central Asian countries.
 
To this end, Harbin is promoting the landing of whole vehicle industry projects through the Belt and Road Initiative.
 
In March of this year, relevant departments in Harbin signed contracts with six companies involved in the automobile industry chain to fully promote the integrated development of Harbin's automobile whole vehicle sector, as well as its supporting facilities and services.
 
In the future, the Heilongjiang automobile industry working group will plan more projects, enrich formats, and build clusters around the entire automobile industry chain.