A low-altitude aircraft is displayed at the opening of the 15th China-Northeast Asia Expo in Changchun, Jilin province, on Aug 27. (Photo provided to CHINA DAILY)
Inside a workshop of Jilin SSK Electromechanical Co in Northeast China in late August, robotic arms moved with precision as workers performed final adjustments on a shipment of machines bound for Russia.
The shipment marked the fourth delivery to Northeast Asia this year by the company, a manufacturer of intelligent poultry slaughtering and deep processing equipment in Siping, Jilin province. From January to July, Jilin SSK’s total foreign trade value surged to 31.96 million yuan ($4.48 million), jumping 612.3 percent year-on-year, with exports to countries in the region reaching 17.13 million yuan, Changchun Customs data showed.
Consisting of China, Russia, Mongolia, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, the Republic of Korea and Japan, Northeast Asia boasts favorable transportation conditions and covers a vast area rich with human, mineral and marine resources, as well as strong industrial capabilities.
“Previously, our products were mainly exported to Southeast Asian and North African countries,” said Guo Feng, president of Jilin SSK.
“With the support of the China-Northeast Asia Expo, and the implementation of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, we now enjoy easier access to other Northeast Asian markets,” he said at the company’s booth during the 15th edition of the expo, held in Changchun, the capital of Jilin, in August.
Guo pointed out the company’s website is in multiple languages — Chinese, English and Russian. It plans to add Korean and Mongolian in November to serve rising demand in Northeast Asia, he added.
Across Northeast Asia, such industrial links are shaping a deeper story of connectivity and growth.
Changchun, one of China’s automobile manufacturing hubs, is strengthening cooperation with the city Ulsan in the ROK, home to that country’s major carmakers and auto parts suppliers. Machinery businesses in Shenyang, the capital of Northeast China’s Liaoning province, are working in tandem with Japan’s robotics hub in Nagoya.
Ports in Dalian, Liaoning, are bolstering seamless connections with Vladivostok in Russia, as well as Japan’s Otaru, Tokyo and Yokohama, to facilitate trade flows of industrial goods, daily necessities, seafood and other types of commodities.
With minerals from Mongolia, semiconductor products from the ROK, industrial products from Japan, and Jilin’s agricultural exports, the region’s business map is becoming increasingly interwoven — offering companies new and abundant opportunities to expand.
“China and Northeast Asian countries have deepened strategic alignment and cooperation in recent years, with supply chains becoming more integrated,” said Li Xingqian, vice-chairman of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade.
Li said that while traditional industries anchor the economy, rising cooperation in emerging sectors is driving new momentum for regional growth.
Trade between China and the five other Northeast Asian countries amounted to $901.6 billion in 2024, up 1.6 percent year-on-year, accounting for nearly 15 percent of China’s total foreign trade. China has maintained its position as the largest trading partner for all the five countries, with the ROK and Japan ranking as its second — and third-largest trading partners, respectively, according to statistics from the Ministry of Commerce.
Two-way investment between China and the five countries exceeded $7 billion last year, with cooperation expanding into emerging fields, including digital economy, green development, advanced manufacturing and modern services.
Nyam-osor Uchral, Mongolia’s first deputy prime minister and minister of economy and development, said the expo plays a key role in advancing multilateral cooperation in Northeast Asia, driving regional integration, fostering mutual understanding and boosting broader collaboration.
“We will expand trade volumes with other countries in the region, while diversifying product categories, optimizing the trade structure, developing value-added supply chains, and increasing both the quantity and variety of non-mineral exports,” he said.
Roh Keon-ki, deputy minister for trade negotiations at the ROK’s Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, said that Jilin is a key node for ROK-China exchanges.
Jilin, once an industrial base, is now a leading province in the nation’s automotive and rail transportation industries, and is growing into a regional innovation hub by spearheading high-quality development and promoting digital and green transformation.
Amid shared challenges, including sluggish global economic growth, Roh urged countries to join hands in sharing experience and resources, expanding cooperation for inclusive growth and common prosperity, building a predictable trade and investment environment, and exploring innovative solutions for digital transformation and carbon neutrality.
Open to wider world
Launched in 2005, the China-Northeast Asia Expo is the only such international major event to feature participation by the six Northeast Asian countries and open to the wider world.
This year’s event, covering 73,000 square meters and resembling a global marketplace, drew more than 14,000 participants from China and 45 countries and regions, according to the Jilin Provincial Department of Commerce.
Exhibits ranging from Russian chocolates and Mongolian cashmere hats to Pakistani vases and Thai balms, showcased diverse cultures while underscoring strong interest in cross-border cooperation and market expansion.
Over its 14 previous editions, the expo has generated 10 billion yuan in goods trade and facilitated 3,032 cooperation projects. Combined investment has reached over 2.05 trillion yuan, spanning infrastructure, modern services, new energy, new materials, food processing, auto parts manufacturing, cultural tourism and biomedicine.
The growing trade exchanges in Northeast Asia are also reflected in the performance of regional manufacturers.
For example, Sungdo Crane Equipment (Liaoning) Co — a Shenyang-based hoist and crane maker and a subsidiary of the ROK’s Star Machinery Co — saw its exports to the ROK reach 59 million yuan between January and July, up 2 percent year-on-year, according to Shenyang Customs.
“Our cleanroom electric hoist equipment and components account for more than 65 percent of the market share in the ROK. Designed for use in dust-free workshops, the products prevent particles from falling when lifting heavy objects and make efficient use of limited indoor space,” said Roh Youngbeom, the company’s president.
“A flourishing web of trade ties in Northeast Asia can help companies expand regional markets and build resilient supply chains,” said Roh, adding that the push dovetails with the RCEP, reinforcing momentum for deeper economic integration.
The RCEP, which came into force in 2022, comprises 15 Asia-Pacific countries including the 10 member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, and its five trading partners, China, Japan, the ROK, Australia and New Zealand.
The pact aims to deepen economic integration by covering areas such as trade in goods and services, investment and e-commerce. Its goal is to boost regional trade and economic growth, according to the Jakarta-based ASEAN Secretariat.
Bai Ming, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation in Beijing, said that the mega-free trade agreement provides an institutional framework that further strengthens Northeast Asia’s economic cooperation.
By reducing tariffs, improving market access and promoting unified rules in areas such as trade in services, technology cooperation and intellectual property protection, the agreement not only deepens integration with ASEAN economies, but also enhances intra-regional connectivity, Bai said.
Gao Lingyun, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences’ Institute of World Economics and Politics in Beijing, said: “This will create more opportunities for companies in Northeast Asia to expand their presence across value chains and benefit from a more predictable trading environment, while also allowing China’s northeastern region to share in the gains and spur regional development.”
Cutting barriers
Heilongjiang Tianyouwei Electronics Co, a manufacturer of automotive instrument clusters and intelligent cockpits in Suihua, Heilongjiang province, has strengthened its foothold in overseas markets by enhancing the competitiveness of its products and leveraging international trade facilitation policies such as the Authorized Economic Operator program.
The program was advocated by the World Customs Organization in 2007 to strengthen international supply chain security and facilitate the movement of legitimate goods.
Under the AEO, customs authorities from various countries and regions form partnerships with industries to collaboratively cut barriers to customs procedures and enhance international trade efficiency.
Heilongjiang Tianyouwei, with more than 4,900 employees, exported 580 million yuan in products to Northeast Asian markets in the first seven months of this year, accounting for nearly half of its total exports during this period, Harbin Customs data showed.
“After becoming an AEO-certified company in January, we have gained not only greater efficiency in customs clearance, but also improvements in management standards, business reputation and overall competitiveness,” said Shan Dan, a manager at the company’s foreign trade unit.
Shan said as overseas customers are paying increasing attention to suppliers’ credit qualifications, her company has relied on its AEO certification to continuously expand its circle of foreign trade partners this year, securing new orders from Northeast Asian countries and maintaining steady growth in export business.
Multinational corporations are also expanding their footprint in China’s northeastern region, adding further vitality to regional supply chains.
One such company is Eastman Chemical Co, a United States-based specialty materials manufacturer.
The company, with eight manufacturing sites and an innovation center across China, launched two new lines at its plant in Dalian in June to ramp up the output of its automotive film products.
“This expansion consolidates our ability to meet the rising demand for our film products across China and the Asia-Pacific region, while also fostering greater innovation and enabling the scaling of product development within our existing operations,” said Brad Lich, executive vice-president and chief commercial officer of Eastman.
Underscoring that China is at the core of its global strategy, Lich said Eastman will continue to innovate across a wide range of applications, from specialty plastics used in reusable bottles, electronics and cosmetics packaging, to performance films for automotive and architectural use, within the country, to seize more market share and further cut carbon emissions.
Looking ahead, market watchers said future cooperation in Northeast Asia is likely to expand beyond traditional sectors into fast-growing areas such as new energy, hydrogen power, artificial intelligence and cross-border payment systems.
“These fields not only align with global low-carbon and digital transformation trends, but also reflect the region’s complementary strengths in technology, capital and resources,” said Chen Jianwei, a researcher at the University of International Business and Economics’ Academy of China Open Economy Studies in Beijing.
By jointly exploring standards, sharing research outcomes and deepening supply-chain collaboration, countries in the region are expected to foster new growth engines and create a more resilient, innovation-driven economic network that benefits both local industries and global partners, said Chen.
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