Murmansk Region's export to China grows by 2.4 times since 2019 — governor
MURMANSK, April 28. /TASS/. The Murmansk Region's businesses cooperate actively with China, supplying to that country iron ore concentrate, fertilizers and fish, and importing technological equipment, cars and other products. Over recent four years, exports from the Murmansk Region have grown by 2.4 times, Governor Andrey Chibis said at a meeting with China's Consul General in St. Petersburg Wang Wenli.
"Our businesses traditionally work closely with China, and over recent four years the export has grown by 2.4 times, and this dynamics continues," he said. "Over recent months of the current year, our producers have accessed new Chinese markets, including crab producers."
The consul general noted that crabs from the Murmansk Region are very popular in China, adding in 2021 the trade between China and the Arctic amounted to $600 million, and was growing in 2022. "The Murmansk Region is a very potential, dynamic region with a unique geographical location - the Northern Gate. We, of course, are following the region and look forward to further cooperation with the Murmansk Region," she said.
According to the Murmansk Region's economic authority, most exporters to China are big businesses. "Those are producers of iron ore concentrate, nickel, fish and seafood products. Imports include floating structures, chemical products, technical textile materials, metals, equipment, electrical machines and tools. China has long been one of the main foreign trade partners of the Murmansk Region. As of 2022, China ranked fourth among this region's trade partners," the Ministry of Arctic Development and the Murmansk Region's Economy said.
During the meeting, the parties agreed Chinese provinces and the Murmansk Region would continue and build up cooperation in exchanging technologies, in development of education and tourism. The governor stressed the Northern Sea Route development is a strategic direction.
"Presently, taking into account the even greater rapprochement of our countries, after the decisions of our leaders regarding joint work to develop the Northern Sea Route, we can see new opportunities," the governor said. "First of all, opportunities in logistics, where our competitive advantage is the Murmansk transport hub that we are developing. Those are new opportunities for cooperation also in cargo transshipment, and later on, possibly, in joint projects in our region."
Photo by Petr Kovalev/TASS
