St. Sophia Church, a building symbolic of Harbin.

Song Fatang, governor of Heilongjiang Province, meets Lena HjelmWallen,vice prime minister of Sweden.

　　One example of this can be seen in the encouraging initial success of structural adjustment to the rural economy. With its resolve to become a major green food producer in China, Heilongjiang Province has made huge advances in green and local specialty agriculture. The province produces 30 million tons of grains annually,and soy　bean exports account for two thirds

of China's total. Livestock husbandry also plays a key role in the provincial economy, and Heilongjiang milk is top quality, thanks to its unpolluted environment, ample grain and high quality grass. Many well-known dairy product companies, including Nestle, Bright Milk and the Yili Group, have set up production bases in Heilongjiang Province. 　　　　　 Another target within sight is the industrial sector, whose growth is gathering momentum, and whose economic performance is much improved. As the industrial structure undergoes further adjustment, its pillar and emerging industries are coming into full play. Heilongjiang's three traditional industries—petrochemicals, machinery and food processing—have been stimulated by new and high technologies. Meanwhile, more advanced technology has been imported in a bid to equip this old industrial base with modern facilities. In order to achieve sustainable development in its petroleum sector, which has been hampered by shrinking reserves of oil, the province is accelerating cooperation with Russia in terms of oil and gas production. 　　As a means to making optimum use of its rich resources of wild plants, animals and local specialties, Heilongjiang has recently developed a group of new and high-tech products, and traditional Chinese medicines, all manufactured using the latest production processes. The province is focusing its efforts on a parcel of large-scale enterprise groups in different sectors, and under different ownership, and is lending its support in the setting up of a full-scale up-to-date operating system, as a means to putting these firms back in the black. As a result, many old state-owned enterprises, such as the Harbin Aircraft Plant and the Harbin Pharmaceutical Group are beginning to show signs of their original vitality.
　　In view of China's pending membership of the WTO, Heilongjiang Province is well placed for further opening up. It plans further to enhance cooperation with Russia in economy, trade, science and technology, to optimize its export structure, increase its export volume, attract more foreign investment and utilize foreign investment more effectively.
　　An improved investment environment plays a major role in Heilongjiang's opening up drive. During the period of the Tenth Five-Year Plan, the construction of key projects with high scientific and technical content is expected to stimulate the economy as a whole. These include the ethanol fuel project, Harbin International Conference and Exhibition Center, the Niergi Reservoir, the Japanese mini-car project imported by Harbin Aircraft Plant, Harbin rail traffic line No.1 project, the central heating project in the downtown area of Harbin, and the technical upgrading project in Harbin's medical and pharmaceutical sector.
　　Heilongjiang people now have more reason than ever to be proud of this fruitful area and confident of its future prosperity. This traditional base for heavy industry also has a strong pharmaceutical sector, and its rich resources of plants for medical use have borne lucrative fruit. This titan oil producer (50 million tons annually) also excels in the manufacture of high-tech new materials and deep processed products, as well as advanced robots and helicopters.

Fertile black soil.