A LOGISTICS facility will be built in Heilongjiang province's Russian border crossing at Suifenhe to increase handling and distribution capacity for goods that the Russian online shoppers buy from China, Xinhua reports.

The CNY115 million (US$18.9 million) centre that will include cargo sorting and warehousing, will cover 25,000 square metres, and will commence construction in 2014.

Wei Lintao, an official from Suifenhe, said that with the new facility, goods Russian shoppers will buy more from Chinese e-tailers and have purchases delivered in 20 days, cutting delivery time in half.

More Russians buy products from China's online retail site Taobao, he said, because of the shortage of nearby domestic manufactures which make Chinese products delivered faster and more cheaply.

Statistics show that there are at least US$40 million worth of goods delivered to Russian online buyers every day, and volume is growing.

To save money, the current delivery mode will wait until enough goods for the same destination are gathered before they are sent. This takes about 30 to 45 days. The new facility will help integrate product manufactures, distributors and freight forwarders, and with application of new technologies, delivery time will be shortened by 20 days.