MOSCOW, November 5 (RIA Novosti) — River ports in the Chinese province of Heilongjiang have adjusted their hours of operation due to Russia’s shift back to winter time last month, Gazeta.ru reported.
Zhang Chuntszyao, the Chairman of the Association of Applied Economics in Heilongjiang, noted that three Chinese ports “have shifted their hours back one hour in connection with Russia’s shift to winter time.” Zhang added that the decision was made to ensure the “normal work of customs clearance, in order to avoid losses in business.”
Heilongjiang province conducted over USD 22 billion worth of trade with Russia in 2013, and Chinese officials and businessmen have plans to increase trade figures to $25 billion by 2015, to $50 billion by 2020, and to $70 billion by 2025, according to Rossiyskaya Gazeta.
Heilongjiang has three major ports through which most of its trade with Russia occurs: Heihe, which trades with the Amur Region, and Fuyuan and Jiamusi, which trade with Khabarovsk territory.
Chinese officials made the decision after Russia switched to permanent winter time in late October.
