On October 29–31, Qingdao hosted the 28th China Fisheries & Seafood Expo — the largest seafood and fisheries industry event in China and across Asia. This year, the exhibition brought together over 45,000 visitors from 139 countries, while 1,562 companies participated as exhibitors, occupying 14 halls with a total area of 115,000 sq. m.

A Highlight of the Exhibition

The National Pavilion of the Russian Federation was presented on a record scale — 1,600 sq. m and more than 50 participants from across the country. Among them were fishing and crab-harvesting companies, suppliers of ready-made fish products, logistics enterprises, as well as collective stands of Primorsky Krai and Khabarovsk Krai (Krayrybakkolkhozsoyuz), Sakhalin, and other regions of the Russian Federation.

The first morning began with the official tour by the host side, headed by Mr. Zhang Zhili, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of the PRC, accompanied by Ms. Xiao Fang, Director General of the Bureau of Fisheries and Fishery Law Enforcement of the PRC. Traditionally, their first stop was the Russian pavilion, which once again became the largest at the exhibition and one of the most popular among visitors.

The Russian delegation this year was led by Andrey Yakovlev, Deputy Head of the Federal Agency for Fisheries, who, together with Sergey Mikheev, the Agency’s representative in China, welcomed the distinguished guests.

The tour of the exposition began with tasting zones created to promote Russian-caught pollock roe in the Chinese market. This gastronomic project, initiated by the Pollock Catchers Association, was first launched at last year’s exhibition and received strong audience interest, allowing the format to be expanded. On the first day of the event, the Association also held a presentation on pollock roe products from Russian fisheries for the Chinese market.

Tastings of crab dishes by companies Antey, Russian Crab, and Sigma Marine Technology also continued.

Impossible to Mistake

This year, the Russian pavilion was presented for the first time in its updated corporate style, which, drawing on traditional Russian symbols, conveyed the friendly and open attitude of the industry toward fair and mutually beneficial cooperation. A reimagined matryoshka motif was widely used in the pavilion’s design and in promotional videos displayed at the entrance of the exhibition.

As before, the Russian Fish House restaurant was open for exhibitors and their guests, with chefs introducing new menu items. In addition to the now-traditional tom yum and crab and scallop rolls, participants were offered crab shakshuka, pollock and salmon cutlets, and other dishes.

A photo exhibition dedicated to the history of Russian participation at the event — created in honor of the longstanding and warm partnership — was presented jointly with the organizers of China Fisheries & Seafood Expo.

Exposition Line-Up

As in previous years, the core of the Russian national pavilion consisted of fishing companies from the Far Eastern and Northern fishery basins: RRPK, NWFC, Okeanrybflot, FOR Group, Dobroflot, Kamchatskiy Meridian, Sirius, Pacific Fish Resources, Vikta, Koryakmoreprodukt, Tymlat Fish Processing Plant, as well as Dalrefttrans, the Russian Maritime Register of Shipping, and others.

New participants also joined the exposition: Fishing Artel Kolkhoz Krasny Truzhenik, TDDG, Avangard Group, Food Team, and others.

Another new feature of the Russian pavilion was a large display of freshwater fish from the Kupinskiy Fish Processing Plant, which also held lively tastings featuring pike caviar.

“Year after year, we return to the exhibition in Qingdao, where the audience greets us warmly and already anticipates new projects. This year, together with our partners, we strengthened our efforts focused specifically on the Chinese consumer, and we also brought freshwater fish, which is highly valued in China—especially wild and environmentally clean varieties like those offered by our exhibitors. We see that over time we have come to better understand the local market, and in turn, our efforts to build effective and mutually beneficial cooperation models between Russian and Chinese companies across various sectors of the fisheries industry have gained recognition,” said Ivan Fetisov, CEO of Expo Solutions Group, the organizer of the Russian collective exposition.

Next year, the 29th China Fisheries & Seafood Expo will be held from October 28 to 30 at the Hongdao International Convention & Exhibition Center (HICEC) in Qingdao, PRC.