As the economic recession has reduced the number of Russians traveling to China, more Russians are buying Chinese goods online, the Interfax news agency reported Wednesday.
E-commerce between Russia and China is growing, head of the Europe and Central Asia Department of the Chinese Ministry of Commerce Lin Zhi said, adding that about 24 million Russians already buy Chinese goods online, Interfax reported.
The Commerce Ministry estimates the value of the purchased goods at $5 billion.
“We believe that this kind of trade with Russia has prospects and we are ready to contribute to this,” Lin Zhi was quoted by Interfax as saying.
On Nov. 11, Chinese online retail giant AliExpress, currently the most popular internet retailer in Russia, opened its platform to the Russian vendors.
About 20 Russian retailers, including online marketplace Wikimart, electronics brand Tekhnosila and DIY and gardening store 220 Volt, are now available on AliExpress.