As the provincial seat and situated in the center of Northeast Asia Economic Rim, Harbin is the largest core city in the open-up strip along the frontiers of China. The International China Harbin Fair for Trade and Economic Cooperation has become an important bridge and window for Harbin to interface with various countries in the world, especially in conducting trade, economic and technical cooperation with Russia and other CIS states and Eastern Europe countries. In 2008, Harbin’s GDP totaled RMB 286.82 billion, with a per capita GDP of RMB 29,012 against the permanent-resident population of 9.75 million.

The special historic process and geographic position has contributed to the exoticism beauty of the Harbin city. It not only concentrates the histories and cultures of ethnic minorities in the north, but also integrates the Chinese and foreign cultures. It is a famous city in respect of history, culture and tourism.　 With vast land areas and fertile soil, Harbin is an important base for commercial grain production and an ideal place for developing food processing and agricultural economy. This spacious land of black soil can be called the most fertile soil in China. Harbin tops the country in the production of soya bean, potato, flax and beet.