Russia’s AST Group Visits SDIC Xinglian (Qingdao), Jointly Charting a New Blueprint for Belt and Road Cooperation

On August 20, Vladimir, General Manager of the Russian AST Agricultural Industrial Group Altai KraiVladimirand his delegation visited Guotou Xinglian (Qingdao Guotou Industry & Grain and Oil Duoduo Joint Venture Company, referred to as "Guotou Xinglian"). Guotou Xinglian ChairmanWang Yufeng, General ManagerZhang Zhiqiangand their team warmly received them. The two sides conducted in-depth exchanges on core topics such as bulk agricultural product trade, deep processing cooperation, and cross-border industrial belts, reaching multiple strategic consensuses, marking a new stage of resource complementarity and innovation collaboration in Sino-Russian agricultural cooperation.

Against the backdrop of continuous changes in the global agricultural product trade pattern, AST Group is actively expanding international cooperation. This visit aims to promote the deep integration of the Sino-Russian agricultural industry chain. At the meeting,Wang Yufengsystematically introduced Guotou Xinglian's strategic positioning, business segments, and future plans. He emphasized that cooperation with AST Group not only actively responds to the "Belt and Road" initiative but also aims to create an innovative benchmark for Sino-Russian agricultural product trade, forming a replicable and sustainable cooperation mechanism.

Vladimirhighly recognized Guotou Xinglian's strategic layout and the Grain and Oil Duoduo industrial internet platform, and detailed AST Group's resource advantages and strategic focus. As a leading agricultural industrial group in Russia, AST has over 80,000 hectares of cultivated area, 1.2 million tons of storage capacity, and a complete processing system, with a monthly export capacity of 150,000 tons. In recent years, the group has made the Chinese market a strategic priority, successfully opening settlement and payment channels through its Hainan branch, clearing obstacles for agricultural products to efficiently enter China.

Zhang Zhiqiangpointed out that Grain and Oil Duoduo, as an agricultural vertical platform under Guolian Co., relies on mature digital technology, a stable customer base, and smooth import and export channels to improve global agricultural operation efficiency. In recent years, Grain and Oil Duoduo has actively responded to the "Belt and Road" initiative, establishing long-term stable cooperation with enterprises in multiple countries and regions worldwide, covering areas such as cross-border agricultural product transactions, overseas warehouses, and cross-border multimodal transport. For AST Group's key high-quality agricultural products such as peas, rapeseed, and flaxseed, the platform already has clear procurement needs and market foundations, offering broad cooperation space for both parties.

This meeting is not only a strategic handshake between enterprises but also a vivid practice of strong alliances between Sino-Russian agricultural resources and market channels under the "Belt and Road" framework. In the future, Grain and Oil Duoduo will assist Sino-Russian agricultural cooperation, building a more efficient, transparent, and stable global agricultural product system, injecting new momentum into the modernization of agriculture in both countries and the coordinated development of global agriculture.

Company Background

Founded in 1997 and headquartered in Moscow, the Russian AST Agricultural Industrial Group is one of Russia's leading agricultural holding companies. Its main business covers cultivation, storage, processing, and global trade, with over 80,000 hectares of cultivated land. Products include wheat, oats, corn, sunflower seeds, and processed products such as flour and feed. The group currently owns 12 large grain storage and processing bases, with an annual sea freight sales volume of over 2 million tons, and partners across Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. In 2022, it ranked 4th among grain export companies in Russia and 299th among Russia's top 500 companies in 2021. Its grain export quota ranks 7th nationwide in 2025, making it a resource-rich, globally-minded modern agricultural group.