Harbin poised to attract foreign investment flows

Harbin, capital of Northeast China’s Heilongjiang Province and a city of ice and snow, gained instant fame in China as it made hospitality a hallmark of its tourism services. City officials have been busy receiving foreign delegations in recent days. Stakeholders and experts said that the priceless popularity the city garnered could serve as a calling card in its efforts to attract foreign investors and become a gateway of opening-up to the north.

A number of official and semi-official foreign delegations paid visits to the city in recent days, the Global Times learned.

Chen Zhigang, director-general of the Russian-Chinese Business Park in St. Petersburg, led a delegation to visit Harbin’s municipal commerce bureau recently. Chen’s delegation exchanged views on the outlook for cooperation between the two cities.

On January 5, Harbin Mayor Zhang Qixiang told a visiting delegation headed by Asanee Buranupakorn, mayor of Chiang Mai, Thailand, that he hoped the two sides could expand the scope of economic and trade cooperation as the city is building itself into an upper land of opening-up to the north, according to a post on the Harbin municipal government’s website.

In an interview with the Global Times, Chen said he signed two deals this time, with one arranging for Russian companies to procure household appliances from Harbin and the other inviting Harbin- and Heilongjiangbased companies to attend the Power & Electrical Engineering Exhibition in St. Petersburg in April.

“Tourism is never only about tourism but is rather a systemic barometer of a place’s comprehensive capability,” Chen said.

Experts noted that Harbin’s newfound fame will be a positive factor in the city’s efforts to woo foreign investors.

In May 2022, Heilongjiang Province rolled out a three-year action plan for 2022-24, aiming to attract 1 trillion yuan ($141 billion) of outside investment, including from leading global companies.