Hunchun becomes hub for Russian king crabs

Hunchun, a small Chinese border city near Russia, has become a vital hub for importing Russian king crabs, bringing in 12,000 metric tons of the crustaceans worth 3.31 billion yuan ($463 million) last year, according to government statistics.

Although not a coastal city, Hunchun in Jilin province benefits from its proximity to Russia's ice-free ports, sitting 42 kilometers from Posyet Port and 71 km from Zarubino Port, both rich in seafood resources, said Sun Jufeng, director of the administration service center of Hunchun Port.

Approved in 2016 as a designated port for frozen seafood and live aquatic imports, Hunchun Port is now known as a "golden channel" for Russian king crabs entering China. More than 1.5 million king crabs pass through the port annually, accounting for about 80 percent of the national market share, said Li Long, general manager of Yiheng Industrial and Trade Co, one of the city's earliest firms in Russian seafood trade.