BEIJING, May 13-- The first China-Russia Expo will be held in Harbin, capital of northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, from June 30 to July 4, the Ministry of Commerce (MOC) announced on Tuesday.

The expo, with the theme "New Opportunities, New Platform", will be jointly hosted by the MOC, Heilongjiang provincial government, the Russian Ministry of Economic Development and Ministry of Industry and Trade.

The event is expected to serve as a platform for bilateral economic cooperation as well as cultural and people-to-people exchanges.

In October, the two countries agreed to upgrade an international fair into an expo. China has been Russia's leading trade partner for four consecutive years.