CHINA. Sinopharm-controlled China National Service Corporation (CNSC) has been awarded the eight-year arrivals duty-free store concession at Suifenhe Port in northeastern China’s Heilongjiang province.
Located on the China-Russia border, Suifenhe is a core hub for Heilongjiang’s economic and trade cooperation with Russia, and an important land port with a long history spanning over a century.
CNSC said the contract complements its well-established departures duty-free store at the same port.
The company described the operation as a furthering of its strategy to open up the north through the company’s unique ‘duty-free + health’ approach.
In the first quarter of 2026, the number of inbound foreign tourists via Suifenhe Port surged +100.5% year-on-year, reflecting robust cross-border consumption.
During the recent Chinese New Year holiday, CNSC’s existing departures store saw a wave of group purchases by Russian tourists, who particularly favoured tobacco, alcohol, and cosmetics.
As China’s first nationwide duty-free retailer, CNSC says it leverages the integrated health industry advantages of its parent company, Sinopharm, to continuously refine its ‘duty-free + health’ model.
“We plan to take the dual-directional operations at Suifenhe Port as a new starting point, elevating its consumption quality and scale, and ultimately facilitating a higher-level of dual-circulation between domestic and international markets,” CNSC concluded.
As a state-owned enterprise, CNSC is committed to contributing to border area prosperity, high-quality port economy development, and the construction of a new development paradigm,” CNSC concluded. ✈
