Visitors learn about China-made hybrid motorcycles at the 10th China-Russia Expo in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, May 19, 2026. China-made products have taken the spotlight at the 10th China-Russia Expo, attracting merchants from many countries to visit. (Photo: Xinhua)

"The expo is buzzed with a lively crowd and a vibrant atmosphere. Weaving through the dazzling array of booths required careful steps to avoid bumping into others," Jiao Jian, executive president of Heilongjiang Commerce and Investment Chamber for Russia and vice president of multinational company Xuanyuan Industrial Development Co, who just attended the 10th China-Russia Expo in Harbin, Northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, told the Global Times on Wednesday.

Themed "Trust, Cooperation, and Mutual Benefit," the five-day event which lasts from May 17 to 21 covers an exhibition area of 55,000 square meters and features over 1,500 enterprises from 46 countries and regions. 

Multiple Chinese and Russian companies interviewed by the Global Times recognized the opportunities brought about by the largest exhibition event between the two countries, expressing willingness to deepen long-term cooperation and inject stability and new momentum into the world economy while maintaining industrial and supply chain stability between the two countries.

"Attending the expo for the third time, my strongest impression is that exchanges between Chinese and Russian enterprises are much more active than in previous years. Many Russian companies are more willing to come to China - not just to attend exhibitions, but to seek business partners, understand local markets, and do long-term business," Evgeny Bazhov, chief representative of Russian Export Center Joint Stock Company (REC) in China, told the Global Times on Wednesday.

Regions like Northeast China's Heilongjiang and Liaoning provinces, which maintain close ties with Russia, are increasingly becoming attractive to Russian companies. Many Russian firms want to enter the Chinese market through these provinces, Bazhov said.

Ekaterina Valerievna Rassolenko, director of Russian company LLC Specialized Developer "Home Group," attended the expo for the first time. After attending the expo, she, along with a group of Russian businesses, visited multiple Chinese enterprises in Harbin on Wednesday. "I'm thrilled and confident to conduct cooperation with Chinese companies," she told the Global Times on Wednesday.

Under the framework of this expo, over 10 business events are reportedly held, covering bilateral scientific and technological cooperation, industrial park and cluster development, urban planning and construction, medical and health care, and many other fields, sharing new development opportunities.

Strong momentum

The China-Russia Expo showcases the strong resilience and robust vitality of China-Russia economic and trade cooperation. Bilateral trade volume reached $227.9 billion in 2025, surpassing the $200 billion mark for a third consecutive year, with China remaining Russia's largest trading partner for 16 consecutive years, an official from China's Ministry of Commerce said.

In the first quarter of this year, bilateral trade reached $61.2 billion, up 14.7 percent year-on-year, of which exports to Russia increased by 22 percent while imports from Russia up by 9 percent, marking a solid start, the official said.

As China's largest land port, Manzhouli Railway Port in North China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region has witnessed the growing trade between the two countries.

The port's freight yard is a hive of activity this early summer, with cargo trucks loaded with goods clearing customs seamlessly. These vehicles form a constant flow along the China-Russia trade artery. Manzhouli Customs told the Global Times on Wednesday that as of May 12 it has overseen 100,280 freight vehicle crossings, up 28.1 percent year-on-year. 

As this year marks the 30th anniversary of the establishment of the China-Russia strategic partnership of coordination and the 25th anniversary of the signing of the China-Russia Treaty of Good-Neighborliness and Friendly Cooperation, advancing the high-quality development of China-Russia economic and trade cooperation on a new start is highly anticipated.

According to a joint statement released by the two countries on Wednesday, the two sides will vigorously develop cooperation and elevate the level of cooperation in such fields as the automotive, shipbuilding, and civil aircraft industries, and, following the principle of inclusiveness and taking into account respective domestic laws and national development priorities, will continue to expand cooperation in such fields as the digital economy, information and communication technologies including artificial intelligence, cross-border e-commerce, and the mining of related minerals, so as to jointly promote the implementation of key cooperation projects and further unlock the potential of China-Russia cooperation, the Xinhua News Agency reported.

"Driven by high-level guidance, China-Russia subnational cooperation has demonstrated resilience and vitality in 2026, forming an all-round cooperative pattern and a key growth driver for bilateral trade," Song Kui, president of the Contemporary China-Russia Regional Economy Research Institute, told the Global Times on Wednesday.

Song noted that cooperation has moved beyond simple trade to joint R&D and production, expanding into digital economy, green energy, and high-tech sectors. Cross-border industrial and energy collaboration deepened, while provinces like East China's Shandong and South China's Guangdong add fresh impetus.

By now, over 20 Russian federal subjects have established friendly relations or signed cooperation agreements with provinces in southern China, the Xinhua News Agency reported on Wednesday.

Going ahead, building cross-border industrial chains, including localized agricultural demonstration parks in Russia's Far East and accelerating new models such as the Heihe Aihui China-Russia Digital Economy and Cross-border E-commerce Industrial Park to further integrate digital trade with the real economy could serve as new drivers in promoting the two countries' trade and investment to a new level, Song said.

"As Russia's leading technology company, Yandex has always been committed to building an efficient and trusted bridge for collaboration between Chinese and Russian enterprises, supporting stronger and more effective economic cooperation between the two countries," Sergey Ustinov, General Manager of Russian company Yandex Ads Asia Pacific, told the Global Times on Wednesday.

Despite the sound momentum of China-Russia economic and trade ties, some Western media outlets are sensationalizing China-Russia trade relations.

"As China has reiterated, China's normal trade with Russia is done aboveboard and cooperation between China and Russia does not target any third party, nor would it be influenced by any third party," Cui Heng, a scholar at the Shanghai-based China National Institute for SCO International Exchange and Judicial Cooperation, told the Global Times on Wednesday.

"Normal China-Russia economic and trade cooperation, especially industrial and supply chain cooperation, will inject fresh stability and new momentum to the world economy," Cui said.