The press conference was held on the eve of the First Festival-Fair of Russian Goods in China, which will be held from January 27 to February 5, 2024 in the cities of Dalian and Shenyang, Liaoning Province. It was also attended by the Minister of Culture of the Russian Federation Olga Lyubimova, the Minister of Sports of the Russian Federation Oleg Matytsin, the Minister of the Russian Federation for the Development of the Far East and the Arctic Alexey Chekunkov, the Plenipotentiary Minister of the Embassy of the People's Republic of China in the Russian Federation Liu Xuesong and the Trade Representative of the Russian Federation in China Alexey Dakhnovsky.
Ballet dancers from leading Russian theaters will perform dances from world-famous ballet works such as “The Nutcracker”, “Swan Lake”, “Scheherazade” and “Don Quixote” with the musical accompaniment of the Chinese symphony orchestra. REC head stressed that the team includes prima ballerinas and soloists of the ballet of the Mariinsky Theater and the Leonid Yakobson Theater, graduating class students of the famous Vaganova Academy of Russian Ballet.
“The gala concert, in which Russian ballet dancers will perform accompanied by the famous Chinese orchestra, is an important symbol of Russian-Chinese friendship, cooperation, openness and mutual interest of our countries in each other’s culture, it can also become an important symbol of the beginning of the year of cross-cultural exchanges in Russia and China, which will be held in 2024,” Nikishina emphasized.
Russian Minister of Culture Olga Lyubimova noted the role of culture in promoting “Made in Russia” in China.
“A unique event will be held in Liaoning, incredibly symbolic and beautiful. It should be noted that Chinese spectators have great love for Russian culture. They know our music and love our performers very much,” the minister said.
The Minister of Sports of the Russian Federation Oleg Matytsin spoke about how sports helps businesses promote their products under the “Made in Russia” brand.
"Why do companies choose famous athletes for advertising? Success is associated with sports. The success of any product, if it is promoted by outstanding athletes on the world stage, gives confidence that the quality of the product will be appropriate. Russian sport is always ready to be part of such a good humanitarian tradition, to make its contribution in the development and strengthening of bilateral ties between our states,” Matytsin said.
In turn, the head of the Russian Ministry of Eastern Development Alexey Chekunkov spoke about the development of trade turnover between the Far East and China.\
"Sports, culture and the Far East are the right trio for promoting Russia to China. In three years, trade turnover between China and the Far East has doubled. This can be felt at every border crossing. In 2023, the cargo turnover of road checkpoints in the Far East more than doubled, and - by 30%, container turnover - by 22%. Chinese partners are implementing projects in the Far East with a total volume of more than $20 billion. China is well aware and expects our clean food, wild plants, clean food, clean energy," Chekunkov said.
Also, according to him, as part of the development program for Far Eastern cities, which is being implemented under the patronage of the President of Russia, many interesting objects are being created in 22 agglomerations for the export of impressions: museums, sports complexes, ski resorts.
According to the Plenipotentiary Minister of the Chinese Embassy in the Russian Federation, Liu Xuesong, Russian products, culture and sports are welcome in China. “The first festival-fair “Made in Russia” will allow Chinese consumers to try Russian delicacies themselves, learn about Russian products, appreciate the charm of Russian traditional culture - all this will open up new opportunities for expanding bilateral trade and bring our countries closer together,” he emphasized.
Trade Representative of the Russian Federation in China Alexey Dakhnovsky stressed the importance of promoting cooperation in the field of culture and developing partnerships with Northeast China.
“Not all Chinese provinces are familiar with Russian products. In this context, it is important to popularize Russian traditions, holidays, dishes, and the festival-fair “Made in Russia” correctly emphasizes this. In recent years, cooperation between Russia and the province of Liaoning has been actively developing, and “I am confident that the festival-fair will strengthen our presence both in Liaoning and in other regions of China,” Dakhnovsky noted.
Last December, Chairman of the Government of the Russian Federation Mikhail Mishustin, as well as Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko, announced the holding of the first festival-fair of Russian goods “Made in Russia” in the cities of the Chinese province of Liaoning with an extensive cultural and sports program. The event is timed to coincide with the Chinese New Year holidays; about 1,400 types of Russian goods will be presented at retail in the cities of Shenyang and Dalian.
Almost 130 exporters from 30 regions of the country will take part in the fair. REC has prepared a program of b2b and b2c events especially for them. Based on the results of the festival-fair, it is planned to sell products of Russian enterprises in the amount of about 90 million rubles, and conclude contracts for approximately 1.8 billion rubles. In addition, during the days of the festival-fair, sales of Russian goods worth at least 500 million rubles are predicted through national electronic stores. The festival events are expected to attract approximately 3 million Chinese guests.