The northeastern province of Heilongjiang reported a 42.5 percent surge in cross-border trade with neighboring Russia in the first 10 months of this year.

According to the customs department of Harbin, the capital of the province, the province's trade volume with Russia, both import and export, reached approximately US$2 billion during the period, accounting for one fifth of total Chinese-Russian trade.

The province-Russia trade was characterized by small-volume transactions, and the province's major exports consisted of clothing and shoes. Major imports included lumber, paper pulp, plastic, steel and chemical fertilizer, according to the statistics.

(Xinhua News Agency December 17, 2002)