[Photo by Zhang Chunlei/For chinadaily.com.cn]
The inaugural Russian Food Culture Festival — Dalian Edition commenced on Sunday in Dalian, Liaoning province. It will feature a nine-day showcase of more than 80 production and trade companies organized by the Russian Export Center.
The event presents more than 1,200 Russian brand products spanning six categories, including grains and oils, confectioneries, beverages and fast food.
"We have engaged in negotiations with dozens of enterprises across the six categories. The intended contract amount is around 1 billion yuan ($139 million)," said Chen Xin, president of the food cluster at Dashang Group, a leading retailer based in Dalian.
"Through the nationwide retail network of the Dashang Group, we aim to introduce quality Russian food products to more Chinese consumers," Chen said.
The festival activities include culinary shows and ballet performances, facilitating economic and trade negotiations. Tieyue Group, a Dalian-based company, will ink an agreement with the Russian Export Center to establish a cooperative center in the city, creating a distribution hub for Russian food and agricultural products.
The festival was organized by the Liaoning Department of Commerce, Russian Export Center, Shenyang Municipal Government and Dalian Municipal Government. The Shenyang edition started on Saturday.
All participating enterprises from Russia were directly connected with the Chinese end-consumer market. Goods are shipped directly from Russian factories to Dalian and Shenyang for direct sales.
"Local cooperation is an important part of the pragmatic cooperation between China and Russia. In 2023, Dalian's total import and export volume with Russia increased by 80 percent year-on-year, with 176 well-known Russian enterprises investing and developing in Dalian," Dalian mayor Chen Shaowang said in his opening speech.
"We hope that by hosting this event, we can further deepen communication and connection, continuously strengthen economic and trade exchanges, and enhance practical cooperation in technology, culture, sports, education, art and tourism," he said.
