Leading int'l event: three stages of development
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Over its past 17 sessions, the leading regional trade and investment event has attracted more than 1.2 million domestic and foreign entrepreneurs and witnessed the signing of contracts worth close to $80 billion.
With businesspeople from an average of more than 50 countries and regions participating in the fair in the past 17 years, the highlight of the annual event is its intense Russia-oriented dealings.
The Harbin Fair went through the following stages:
From 1990 to 1991, the fair, sponsored by then Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation, was targeted at the former Soviet Union and Eastern European countries, basically under a barter system
During this period, the event was called China Economic and Trade Fair with Soviet Union and East European countries.
From 1992 to 1995, the fair was jointly sponsored by the governments of Heilongjiang Province and Harbin Municipality and overseen by then Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation.
During the period, the event was given a new name - China Harbin Border and Local Economic and Trade Fair.
In 1992 and 1993, the fair was still mainly open to the Commonwealth of Independent States and Eastern European countries, yet trading was carried out under a combined system of barter and convertible foreign exchange.
The year 1994 witnessed a turning point in the Harbin Fair's history.
Beginning that year, businesspeople from Japan, South Korea and Southeast Asian countries began to take an active part in the fair.
Meanwhile, Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan and developed eastern and southern regions of China also began to send their business delegations to the event.
In 1996, the event was renamed the China Harbin International Fair for Trade and Economic Cooperation.
As the new name indicates, the fair has grown into a key platform for traders and investors around the world.
The success of the Harbin fair has helped improve the environment of the host city, spurred growth of the local economy and promoted exchange with other Chinese regions and foreign countries.
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(China Daily 06/06/2007 page20)
