HARBIN — The free trade zone (FTZ) in Northeast China's Heilongjiang province has attracted 94 new projects with a total investment of 175 billion yuan ($24.6 billion) since its inauguration last year, the provincial department of commerce said.

Established in August last year, the Heilongjiang pilot FTZ has three sub-areas with one in the provincial capital of Harbin and the other two in the cities of Heihe and Suifenhe on the China-Russia border.

Since the novel coronavirus outbreak, the sub-areas have promoted online services to attract companies to register, including those from Russia, according to the department.

Approved by the State Council in August 2019, six pilot FTZs were inaugurated in Shandong, Jiangsu, Guangxi, Hebei, Yunnan, and Heilongjiang, bringing the total number of the country's pilot FTZs to 18.