STORY: China's Hunchun port sees surging imports of Russian king crabs
DATELINE: June 26, 2023
LENGTH: 00:01:20
LOCATION: HUNCHUN, China
CATEGORY: ECONOMY/SOCIETY

SHOTLIST:
1. various of Hunchun City
2. various of Russian king crabs
3. various of seafood transportation
4. SOUNDBITE 1 (Chinese): MS. MENG, Local merchant
5. SOUNDBITE 2 (Chinese): MS. CHEN, Tourist
6. various of seafood transportation
7. various of Hunchun City

STORYLINE:

Hunchun City in China's Jilin Province has seen surging imports of Russian king crabs, which helps make it a popular tourist destination for seafood.

Hunchun is located at China's border with Russia, and 71 km away from the Russian port Zarubino.

The Russian king crab used to be a luxury for Chinese consumers.

In 2016, two land ports in Hunchun were approved as designated ports for seafood import. The opening of a freight route linking the city with Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula and the Zarubino Port also helped cut the cost of seafood transportation.

With facilitated transportation, Chinese consumers can enjoy fresher crabs with a more wallet-friendly price.

SOUNDBITE 1 (Chinese): MS. MENG, Local merchant
"We have a lot of tourists coming now from all over the country. Hunchun's seafood is particularly good in terms of quality and price. They mostly come to buy seafood at the seafood street, and the feedback is very good."

SOUNDBITE 2 (Chinese): MS. CHEN, Tourist
"We came from Beijing. The king crabs and snow crabs in Hunchun are very famous, so we came here to buy some."

In the past, Hunchun used to be a backwater in terms of foreign trade due to underdeveloped trading channels.

Over the years, Hunchun has grown to be one of the pacesetters for opening up in Jilin.

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Hunchun, China.
(XHTV)