Border city firmly in place for growth

It lies at the point where China, Russia and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea meet, with the proximity of the three countries offering opportunities to tap major cross-border markets.

The city of Hunchun, in the Yanbian Korean autonomous prefecture of Jilin province, is now poised to leverage its geographical and other advantages to ratchet up major industries such as trade and tourism.

There are four national-level road and railway ports in Hunchun that provide crucial links with Russian and DPRK logistics hubs. In the recent decades of rapid development, the city government has invested 1.15 billion yuan ($163.2 million) in port infrastructure, with total customs clearance capacity growing to 2.4 million visitor numbers and 7 million metric tons of cargo a year, according to official figures.