Heilongjiang is rapidly emerging as a strategic frontier in China’s high-quality development, with a GDP exceeding 1.65 trillion yuan (approximately CAD 320 billion) and serving as an important gateway to China’s engagement with Northeast Asia. The province plays a key role in the revitalization of Northeast China, advancing in the fields of modern agriculture, equipment production, clean energy, and digital logistics.

Heilongjiang Province is a powerful logistics base, with an annual throughput of more than 670 million tons. Its multimodal system includes 141 million tons of cargo transportation by rail, 460 million tons by highway, 7.8 million tons by water, and 1.2 million tons by air. There are also over 20 land ports and international checkpoints in Heilongjiang, including Suifenhe, Heihe, and Dongning, which are also essential channels for a large amount of cross-border trade.

International engagement continues to deepen through the Heilongjiang Free Trade Zone and cross-border cooperation platforms such as Suifenhe, Heihe, and Dongning, offering investor-friendly policies and integrated customs and logistics services. Strategically located in the heart of Northeast Asia, Heilongjiang provides access to a market of over 300 million people across China, Russia, and Mongolia, positioning the province as a rising hub for global trade, innovation, and regional cooperation.

Each of the thirteen Heilongjiang cities offers distinct advantages for foreign companies:

• Harbin: A provincial capital with strengths in advanced manufacturing, aerospace, and the ice-snow economy. Key investment areas include winter sports equipment, biomedicine, and cold-chain logistics.
• Qiqihar: A national base for agricultural and rail equipment. Opportunities lie in smart machinery, heavy industry modernization, and green manufacturing parks.
• Mudanjiang: A gateway city to Russia focused on cross-border trade and cold-chain transport. Ideal for food processing, agricultural exports, and bonded logistics services.
• Jiamusi: Strong in agriculture, forestry, and renewable energy. Investment prospects in green food production, biomass energy, and light manufacturing.
• Daqing: China’s leading oil city shifting toward clean energy and advanced petrochemicals. Attractive for new material development and smart industrial transformation.
• Jixi: Resource-rich in coal and minerals, with a focus on industrial upgrading. Suitable for investments in green mining, clean energy, and material processing.
• Shuangyashan: A traditional coal city moving toward clean industries. Investment areas include coal-to-chemicals, recycling, and new industrial zones.
• Yichun: Dominated by forestry and rich ecological resources. Opportunities in wood products, eco-tourism, and sustainable construction materials.
• Qitaihe: Compact city focused on green coal transformation and ecological recovery. Promising sectors include clean energy, the circular economy, and urban regeneration.
• Hegang: Former mining base seeking new economic growth. Ideal for ecological restoration, renewable energy, and smart agriculture.
• Heihe: A major border trade hub with direct links to Russia. Offers strong potential in cross-border logistics, eco-agriculture, and hydropower.
• Suihua: One of China’s top grain-producing areas. Investment potential in deep agri-processing, agricultural tech, and cold-chain logistics.
• Daxing’anling: China’s northernmost prefecture with vast forests and clean water resources. Ideal for eco-tourism, forest-based industries, and green development projects.

Together, these cities offer complementary strengths across agriculture, energy, manufacturing, and logistics, making Heilongjiang a vital frontier for international investment and a cornerstone of China’s sustainable and outward-facing development in the Northeast.

Three Free Trade Zone Platforms (with Policy Details)

The Harbin Area (79.86 km²) serves as the innovation and high-end industrial hub of the Heilongjiang FTZ, focusing on information technology, clean energy, new materials, and biomedicine. With over 200 high-tech enterprises and 215 research institutions, it supports strong industrial R&D. New foreign-invested manufacturing enterprises are eligible for a financial reward equal to 3% of their actual investment, provided they are registered in the zone and aligned with designated industrial categories.

The Suifenhe Area (19.99 km²) is developing industries such as timber, grain, aquatic products, green food processing, clean energy, and cross-border e-commerce. Foreign-invested enterprises that register as legal entities in the zone with paid-in capital of no less than USD 3 million and meet investment thresholds can receive a one-time subsidy of up to 3% of actual investment, capped at RMB 20 million, to support processing and export-oriented operations.

The Heihe Area (20 km²) is positioned as a demonstration zone for cross-border industrial integration and green development, prioritizing green building materials, healthcare, pharmaceutical R&D, and cold-region vehicle testing. For key projects with fixed asset investment over RMB 50 million and land investment intensity above RMB 35 million per hectare, the local government offers a fiscal rebate equal to 100% of local economic contributions for the first two years, 80% for years 3–5, and 50% thereafter—designed to attract large-scale, high-quality industrial investments.

Policy Reference:

Free Trade Zone – Harbin Area: https://h5.clewm.net/?url=qr61.cn%2FoZDUto%2FqYiF4Nm

Free Trade Zone – Suifenhe Area: https://h5.clewm.net/?url=qr61.cn%2FoZDUto%2FqdvjwLk

Free Trade Zone – Heihe Area: https://h5.clewm.net/?url=qr61.cn%2FoZDUto%2FqHCpyv1

Investment Opportunities

By 2035, Heilongjiang plans to form a comprehensive and diversified industrial system centred on innovation, ecological sustainability, and cross-border cooperation. Key priorities include deep processing of agricultural products, smart equipment manufacturing, biopharmaceuticals, and digital trade platforms. The province also aims to become a national leader in Sino-Russian economic collaboration, leveraging its FTZs and port cities.

Heilongjiang continues to optimize its foreign investment environment by streamlining administrative procedures, enhancing legal protections, and offering targeted incentives in FTZs and industrial parks. Revisions to local regulations have improved market access, land use rights, and fiscal transparency for foreign enterprises.

If you are interested in knowing more about those policies or want to be in touch with the relevant offices and entities in the region, we invite you to contact our CCBC team.