MELITOPOL, May 16. /TASS/. The companies of the Zaporozhye region intend to supply their products to the Chinese market, Yury Guskov, the region’s Economic Development Minister told reporters on Tuesday.

"China is an important strategic partner of Russia. The Zaporozhye region, as a new region of the Russian Federation, plans to actively cooperate with the business of the Celestial Empire. Our grain is of the highest quality, and Chinese consumers will definitely appreciate it. We will actively use public diplomacy to promote our products, our region has something to show partners from all over the world," Guskov said.

The press service of the region’s Economic Development Ministry clarified that representatives of the Zaporozhye region signed an agreement with the International Informatization Academy, which will hold talks with representatives of China.

"The agreement became a development of the memorandum signed in March, which provides for the creation of an international information center for the development of economic and social initiatives in the region. Its main task is to counter sanctions pressure and promote the products of new regions on international markets," the ministry added.

In turn, the Minister of agro-industrial sector and food policy of the region Svetlana Shevchenko expressed confidence that, despite the sanctions, the products of the Zaporozhye region will reach foreign markets.

"Our state grain operator came under US sanctions, but this does not prevent it from entering into contracts with foreign partners. Russia is restructuring from Western markets to Eastern ones, the population of these regions is much larger, there are huge prospects. We intend to conquer these markets, our products will be in demand " she stated.

In December 2022, Anton Koltsov, Chairman of the Government of the Zaporozhye Region, reported that agricultural enterprises in the region had harvested 2.5 million tons of grain and oilseeds, which is five times the region's needs. The harvest in the region was gathered on the area of 961,000 hectares. However, Koltsov clarified that 20% of the grain sown area "burned out" due to hostilities.