Exports of Russian seafood to China, especially Russian king crabs, have been sharply growing over the past few years.

A worker at a seafood trading company showcases a Russian king crab in Hunchun, Jilin province, Oct 10. [Photo/chinanews.com]

Statistics show that, within the first eight months of 2017, the total value of imports of Russian crabs to Hunchun, a frontier city in Northeast China's Jilin province bordering both Russia and North Korea, is 573 million yuan ($83.15 million), up 321 percent from a year earlier.

Workers transport Russian crabs at a seafood trading company in Hunchun, Jilin province, Oct 10. [Photo/chinanews.com]

There are currently 24 seafood trading companies in Hunchun importing Russian seafood, nine of which specialize in trading live crabs.