Harbin plans to develop 'air silk road' to Russia and routes to America

NORTHEASTERN Harbin city plans to seize the opportunities of expansion of its airport to develop more air freight services to Russia, building up a "air silk road" for Russian trade, Xinhua reports.

The city plans to launch direct shipping service to one or two Russian cities in the early half of 2012, and nine by the end of 2015.

Heilongjiang province, whose capital city is Harbin, shares a border of over a thousand kilometres with Russia. But the inconvenience of transportation in Harbin has always been hindering the growth of its trade with Russia.

Besides Russian air cargo services, Harbin also plans to launch such services to northeast Asian and North American cities.