Made in Russia: The new trend in China

The shop windows are decorated in white, blue and red, with suspended Chinese and Russian flags, wander the side by side. Wurst goods in the form of Russian dolls greet customers at the front door. Inside, the shelves are filled with a variety of Russian products - from chocolate and cookies to honey and vodka.

Russian products on the advance in China

in China are increasingly to see pop-up-stores that specialize in Russian products in recent years. Her sudden increase has confused some residents, because many are wondering why these business appeared overnight.

economic connections deepen

In recent years, tens of thousands of such shops have opened across the country, since the Chinese public has an affinity for Russia Comprehensive invasion of Ukraine through Wladimir Putin. China has become an important economic lifeline for Russia, which has been hit by sanctions, while the bilateral commercial figures reach records year after year.

growing demand for Russian food

Although inexpensive Russian oils, gases and coal of China dominate imports, Russian food products such as ice cream, sweet cookies and milk powder are also very trendy. Chinese companies have hurried to benefit from the booming demand. According to China's business documents, more than 2,500 new companies have been registered since 2022, which deal with the trade of Russian goods, with almost half of them founded last year. Around 80 % of the new companies that wanted to benefit from this trend are still active to this month.

regional concentration and product variety

Most of these companies are based in Heilongjiang, the northeastern province that borders on Russia. In the past two years, however, they have also spread in other provinces. In addition to water and agricultural products that make up most of China's food imports from Russia, Russian chocolates, cookies and milk powder in particular attract the attention of Chinese consumers who benefit directly from the "Made in Russia" brand, which is funded by Moscow

quality concerns and counterfeits

The explosive growth of business - described by a Chinese state medium as "crazy" - also initiated the authenticity of its products. Research by media and influencers have shown that some products marked as Russian were actually manufactured in China. This led to a stricter control of misleading labels and advertising by the authorities.

personal insights and opinions

In a business for Russian goods in Beijing, a seller said that Russian honey was the hit. "The best products are the chocolate and honey - they are all very good," she confessed and pointed to a large selection of chocolates.

Liang Jinghao, a tourist from the northern Chinese province of Shanxi, said that he saw many similar shops in his homeland. He said: "Russia is a very good country, with a huge area and rich resources, and people are very friendly."

official support and events

Despite the war in Ukraine, relationships between China and Russia are closer than ever. A survey by the Center for International Security and Strategy of the Tsinghua University in Beijing showed that 66 % of the respondents take a "very positive" or "rather positive" attitude towards Russia, while about 76 % are negative to the United States.

market demand and possible closures

The increasing demand for Russian products has many shops in China, also official, to open up. The Russian export center is planning to open up to 300 Russian shopping shops with Chinese partners in the country by the end of the year. But despite the controversy around the quality and origin of the products, the popularity of Russian goods remains unbroken, which leads to new business activists.

FAZIT

The interest in Russian products in China shows how closely the countries have connected, while at the same time there are questions about the authenticity and quality of such goods. Consumers are encouraged to pay attention to original products with the appropriate labeling when buying to avoid disappointments.