Geopolitical Report ISSN 2785-2598 Volume 46 Issue 3
Author: Vlad Antonov
On September 3th, 2024, Russia launched the Eastern Economic Forum (EEF), a leading platform for the development of the economy of the Far East and the expansion of international cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region.
The Forum organised the events in the format of panel sessions, round tables, TV debates, business breakfasts, and business dialogues on Russia’s relations with different countries around the world. The EEF business program included business dialogues with leading partner countries in the Asia-Pacific region, as well as with ASEAN, a key integration grouping of actively developing countries in Southeast Asia.
An analysis of the business program of the Forum allows us to state that Russia is strengthening the strategic eastern vector of its geopolitics, outlining a large-scale program for the development of its eastern territories and comprehensively strengthening ties with the leading actors of the Global South.
Priority development of the Far East
The business program in 2024 plans most of the discussions and round tables to focus on developing concrete measures for the development of the vast eastern territories of Russia, which until recently were rather on the periphery of Moscow’s key national interests.
The country’s authorities are implementing an extensive program to transform the Far East into one of the most dynamically developing regions of Russia. Various infrastructure and logistics programs are already being actively implemented here. Over 2,850 investment projects, with a total value of 8.9 trillion rubles, have been implemented.
The region is one leader in the extraction of fish and marine bio-resources, timber and mineral resources. In recent years, the reorientation of many logistics and trade chains to Asian partners has only increased the role and importance of the Russian Far East.
In order to identify current problems and unrealized opportunities, as well as strengthen the development potential of the Far East, the Eastern Economic Forum will address the following issues:
- Effective business in the region.
- Development of the education and training system.
- Introducing a mechanism for the integrated development of territories.
- Support for preferential regimes in the fields of construction, industry, and production.
- Agriculture, fishing and food production; subsoil use; tourism; personnel and innovation.
- Implementing of the Strategy of Scientific and Technological Development of the Russian Federation in the region, approved by the President of the country in 2024.
- Realizing the State program “Far Eastern Hectare”, under which over 137 thousand people received land plots, 52% of the program participants build houses on their land, 29% of the hectares are used for agriculture.
- Creating of a high-quality ship repair and shipbuilding base in the Far East, designed to stimulate the growth of fishing and seafood processing, increase gas production and offshore oil.
- Realizing the National Project “Tourism and the Hospitality Industry”, within the framework of which new large resorts are already being built in Primorye, Kamchatka and Lake Baikal.
- Meeting the growing needs of the economy of the Far East in electric energy and capacity on the horizon until 2050.
Since Moscow declared the Far East as the most important geostrategic frontier of Russia, a bridge between civilizations, the forum plans to pay special attention to strengthening the demographic potential of the region. Although this macro-region occupies more than a third of the territory of modern Russia, less than 8 million people live here today, especially considering in 30 years the Far East has lost more than a quarter of its population.
Migration results in the region’s loss’s own cultural and civilizational identity. In order to preserve national sovereignty and the progressive economic development of Russia, it is vital to develop and implement effective mechanisms for saving people and expanded demographic reproduction in the region. At the same time, it is planned to implement extremely balanced and differentiated employment strategies for the permanent population and a segmented external migration policy in the Far East, balanced with the tasks of national security, economic growth and strengthening the country’s sovereignty. These include measures to support large families and young professionals with children, the development of urban infrastructure, support for rural areas, etc.
Another important issue in the aggravation of geopolitical rivalry with the West is the logistical connectivity of Russia, the use of transport corridors for economic development. In this regard, the Forum addressed challenges for Russian cargo transportation, the development of such promising alternatives for Russian logistics as the Northern Sea Route, the North–South MTK, the Eastern Corridor, challenges and new opportunities for the development of container logistics at the Eastern Landfill, etc.
China as Moscow’s strategic partner in the Far East
By devoting a significant part of the Eastern Economic Forum to discussing various aspects of the development of cooperation between Moscow and Beijing, the Russian authorities show their special attention to relations with their southern neighbor in the Far East.
Over the past few years, bilateral trade and economic ties between Russia and China have expanded significantly, while there has been a rapid growth in bilateral trade, investment cooperation, activation of regional and cross-border ties, as well as the growing interest of Russian and Chinese business circles in cooperation.
The forum discussed the economic potential of cooperation between Russia and China in small and medium-sized enterprises, Russian–Chinese cooperation in the automotive industry (the share of Chinese brands in the country has increased to 90% over the past couple of years, 50% of the cars sold are Chinese), cooperation in drug safety, expansion issues of Chinese business, cooperation between Russia and China on the way to carbon neutrality by 2060.
The EEF hosted also a meeting of the Council for Interregional Cooperation of the Russian-Chinese Friendship, Peace and Development Committee and a round table “Russia-China”, where representatives of the two countries considered new directions for Russian-Chinese cooperation, areas for implementing joint projects, the elimination of emerging barriers to trade and economic cooperation, investment cooperation, development infrastructure , etc .
Support for a multipolar world order
In its foreign policy, the Russian leadership does not deviate from the course of supporting a multipolar world order and cooperation with alternative centers of new world politics that are acquiring political weight.
Considering Russia’s BRICS presidency, Moscow’s authorities focused on examining ways to strengthen this international association. According to the Kremlin, the attention of the BRICS is now focused on learning how to act in a new composition and integrate new members into the work of the association quickly and effectively. There is a need to develop mechanisms to maintain stability and strengthen internal unity among the BRICS countries.
Despite the special attention to the Chinese direction, Moscow does not reduce the importance of the vector for deepening relations with India. India is a long–time friend of Russia, a business, cultural, and political partner. Strong ties between the two countries were built back in Soviet times and are now reaching a new level.
Today, Russia is becoming one of the most important trading partners for the fast-growing Indian economy. In order to further increase the indicators of mutual trade, as well as the development of investment cooperation, the Eastern Economic Forum hosted a round table “Russia-India”, at which participants will identify key goals and objectives of cooperation, including in such most promising sectors as industrial cooperation, transport and logistics interconnection, financial infrastructure, and the development of logistics communication between India and Russia within the framework of the North–South, Vladivostok–Chennai International Transport Center.
Moscow attaches great importance to the strategic partnership with ASEAN. In 2004, Russia joined the Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation in Southeast Asia within the framework of the Bali Treaty, which became an important prerequisite for further deepening dialogue with the ASEAN member countries. Considering the dynamically growing multifaceted potential of the Asia-Pacific region, Russia pays priority attention to cooperation with ASEAN. The plans for the advanced development of the Far East and the Arctic zone of Russia, among other things, depend on the effective realisation of the potential of cooperation with the Asia-Pacific region.
The development of mutually helpful relationships between Russia and the nations of Greater Eurasia is creating a new center in the emerging multipolar world, leading to a fundamental restructuring of the global international system. All the world’s largest players concentrate their interests here, ensuring the main share of global economic growth, passing through key transport routes, containing significant natural resources, over 70% of the world’s population, unique cultural heritage, and ancient civilizations.
Russia sets one of the major goals of its policy to transform Eurasia into a single continental space of peace, stability, mutual trust, development and prosperity, which is reflected in the updated Concept of Foreign Policy. At the Forum, experts from Greater Eurasia analysed the prospects for integration in the region, Russia’s place in the new model of organization of this geo-economic space, the creation of the Greater Eurasian Partnership (BEP), the role of the EAEU, SCO and ASEAN in the integration dynamics of the region.
The participants paid attention also on the format of cooperation between the largest Eurasian countries “Russia–India–China” (RIC), proposed by Russian Prime Minister E.M. Primakov in 1998, on such aspects as the participation of the RIC countries in the formation of regional Eurasian markets for goods, services, capital and labor, the development of new transport corridors connecting the RIK countries and the Greater Eurasia area.
One of the meeting discussed the role of Southeast Asia in a multipolar world, moderated by the Russian geopolitician Alexander Dugin, who today is chairman of the organising committee of the Multipolarity Forum and director of the Ivan Ilyin Higher Political School. Considering the fact that Southeast Asia is an important region from the point of view of global geopolitics, where complex political processes are unfolding, including territorial disputes and changes in the balance of power between different countries, the panel discussion participants will consider the impact of changes in the balance of power in the Asia-Pacific region on the global geopolitical situation, the interests of external forces, relations The USA and China in the region, etc.
Conclusion
The Eastern Economic Forum 2024 clearly shown that in growing conflict with traditional political and economic partners in the West, Russia’s orientation towards the East is increasingly being established as Russia’s strategic geopolitical vector for the long term.
The discord in relations with Europe and the United States fits into the well-known geopolitical formula of Mackinder: “Whoever rules Eurasia dominates the world.” Moscow apparently intends, together with China and India, to create a new architecture of cooperation and security in Greater Eurasia, which will maximise the ability of the countries of the Euro-Atlantic region to influence the development of the situation in the region, and pose threats to the national interests of the three largest Eurasian geopolitical centers represented by Moscow, Beijing and New Delhi.
Disclaimer. The views and opinions expressed in this report are those of the author and do not reflect the official policy or position of SpecialEurasia. Report in media partnership with Kaspiskij Vestnik.
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