Of the total volume of foreign investment attracted to the Far Eastern Federal District over the past 2.5 years, the lion's share - 85% - falls on the PRC. In 2017, the volume of investments of partners from the Celestial Empire in the Far Eastern economy increased by a third.
Meeting of the heads of government of the Russian Federation and the People's Republic of China in Beijing. At a press conference following this event, Li Keqiang noted that "this time we have reached new agreements on cooperation in the Far East. We are going to increase Chinese investment in the development of the Far East, we are ready to import even more Russian energy products from there." Photo: Sergey Kuksin / RG
New conditions
According to Alexei Chekunkov, Director General of the Far East Development Fund (FRDF), the potential for China's investment in the Far Eastern District is huge - tens of billions of dollars. The fact that it can and should be implemented was discussed during an official two-day visit to China by Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev.
We are going to increase Chinese investment in the development of the Far East, - he promised at a meeting with the head Russian government Chinese Premier Li Keqiang.
Close ties between the northeastern provinces of China and the Far East Federal District have been established for a long time, but if earlier they were almost exclusively of a commercial nature, today they have received a completely new impetus thanks to the developments in the Russian Far East economic instruments- TOR and SPV.
In particular, we have waived income tax in the priority development territories, which is credited to federal budget. There zero rate valid for five years. And we have significantly reduced the part of the tax that goes to regional budgets. Therefore, naturally, we invite you to invest in these territories,” Dmitry Medvedev explained.
Chinese business is now discovering the Far East in a new way. Entrepreneurs saw that the conditions created by the Russian state work and are favorable for business development, the minister believes Russian Federation for the development of the Far East Alexander Galushka.
To help residents, the Russian government has established the Far East Agency for Investment Promotion and Export Support. This department works with partners from around the world, but the first foreign representative office was opened in China. That is, now a potential Chinese investor can get advice directly in Beijing, Harbin and Shanghai, for this he does not need to come to Russia.
The results of the efforts undertaken at a high level are already there - and considerable ones. Chinese partners are willing to enter the oil and gas sector, cooperation is developing in agro-industrial cooperation, high technologies, and housing construction.
About factories and farms
One of the largest Russian-Chinese projects is the construction of an oil refinery in the Amur Region on the territory of the Priamurskaya ASEZ. Its initiator is the Amur Energy Company (AEC). The first stage of the complex is planned to be commissioned in 2018. The second one will start operating in 2020, when an oil product pipeline will be built from the village of Berezovka (Russia) to Heihe (PRC).
Plenipotentiary of the President of the Russian Federation in the Far Eastern Federal District Yury Trutnev: The development project of the ITC "Primorye-1" and "Primorye-2" can become strategic for interaction between Russia and China in the Far East. Photo: minvr.ru
The main investor of the project (with a share of 90%) is private Chinese capital represented by Menglan Xinghe, he told Breath of China. CEO AEK Alexander Gordeev. - In total, about 120 billion rubles of investments will be attracted to the Amur Region.
From 2019, the plant will be able to process 4 million tons of oil and 2 million tons of oil and gas condensate per year. Four-fifths of all production will go to China through pipelines laid along the bottom of the Amur.
Many new projects with the participation of Chinese capital are being implemented in the Primorsky Territory. Thus, the investor of the free port of Vladivostok, Yubo-Sumotori Production Company, organizes the production and distribution of trucks of the FAW brand. The planned production volume at the start of the project is up to 2,000 vehicles per year. The ERZO enterprise is creating capacities for processing used tires in Ussuriysk. The Primorsky Gold Mining Company is developing the Zolotoy deposit in the Partizansky District. investment project Russian-Chinese dairy farm for 1800 cows. Also promising are the plans of Tanyuan Industrial Science and Technology Development Park in Agriculture and Animal Husbandry, which involve the construction of a cattle breeding complex in the Shkotovsky District. The investor is a consortium of private individuals in Jilin Province.
In the JAO, a resident of the Amur-Khinganskaya ASEZ, the Amurprom company, has begun construction of a soybean deep processing plant in the Leninsky district. The high-tech enterprise will produce oil, lecithin, isoflavins and protein complexes. The plant's capacity is up to 300 thousand tons of soybeans per year. Another project of the same company is deep wood processing with a capacity of more than 20,000 cubic meters of timber per year. The plant will produce lumber, veneer, furniture panels and fuel briquettes.
With the attraction of investments from China, a business-class hotel complex is being created in the Jewish Autonomy at the site of the Nizhneleninsky industrial park. The hotel will have 280 rooms. In addition, the Logistika enterprise plans to build a complex for the acceptance, processing and storage of goods coming from Russia to China and back.
In 2017, a decision was made to launch a pulp and paper mill project in the city of Amursk, Khabarovsk Territory. The Chinese side plans to invest more than $1.5 billion in the construction of a facility with a capacity of 500,000 tons of softwood pulp per year. At least 500 jobs will be created. The investor will be a subsidiary of China Paper Corporation. The relevant memorandum of understanding was signed by the Far East Investment Promotion Agency and China Paper. According to the document, the construction site of the plant will be included in the Komsomolsk priority development area, which will allow the investor to receive significant tax incentives. As Vyacheslav Shport, Governor of the Khabarovsk Territory, noted, "the new production facility will be another step towards the development of cooperation between Russia and China. The regional authorities will render maximum assistance to investors."
Business from the Celestial Empire opens up completely new territories for itself in the East of Russia. In the Yakut ASEZ "Kangalassy" residents with the participation of Chinese capital invested in the issue ceramic brick. Kamchatka is ready to invest more than four billion rubles in a port industrial park. It is supposed to include several functional zones: a transit cargo terminal, enterprises for processing and remelting renewable resources, a fishing cluster, ship repair and shipbuilding complexes, as well as a number of other industries.
Roads
Both Russia and China are making very serious investments today in transport infrastructure.
Since the beginning of 2017, the volume of transit cargo coming from China through the south of the Far East has quadrupled. And the volume of mutual trade increased by 33%. The creation of "bridges of friendship" is called upon to stimulate trade and freight traffic. One of them is the railway (Nizhnleninskoye (EAO, RF) - Tongjiang (PRC), it will be launched in the first half of the current year. The construction of the road bridge Blagoveshchensk (Amur Region, RF) - Heihe (PRC) is also underway.
Recently it became known that between Harbin and Vladivostok, a high-speed Railway. Its construction, initiated by Chinese partners, was discussed by the head of the Ministry for the Development of the Russian Far East, Alexander Galushka, with the CEO of China Railway Dongfang Group, Cai Zemin.
The Harbin - Vladivostok highway is more than 380 km of tracks and 12 stations. The laying of the line from Mudanjiang to Harbin is already underway. It is planned that the speed of movement along it will be 250 km per hour. The cost of the project is up to 19 billion US dollars.
Chinese business is now discovering the Far East in a new way, - says Alexander Galushka, Minister of the Russian Federation for the Development of the Far East. Photo: minvr.ru
Initially, a passenger line was conceived. But after evaluating the economics of the project, it was decided to focus on a mixed flow, taking into account the transportation of goods, - said Cai Zemin.
Another one important topic- international transport corridors (ITC) "Primorye-1" and "Primorye-2".
I consider it relevant to cooperate with the Chinese business on the construction of the Razdolnoye - Khasan - Zarubino road, which is part of the Primorye-2 ITC and connects the northeastern provinces of China with the ports of the region. In addition, we need a ring road in Vladivostok with bridges to the Russian and Elena islands, which requires serious financial investments, - Andrey Tarasenko, Acting Governor of Primorsky Krai, listed.
China Communications Construction Company is going to participate in these projects. This Chinese national corporation has repeatedly emphasized its interest in working in the region, including in the construction of roads for the Primorye-1 and Primorye-2 transport corridors.
The development project of the ITC "Primorye-1" and "Primorye-2" can become a strategic one for the interaction between Russia and China in the Far East. It is supported by the leaders of our countries. The project will benefit our states. This can be a vivid example of the integration of the Eurasian Economic Union with the Silk Road Economic Belt. For our part, we are interested in the project to take place, and its implementation to begin in the near future, - said Deputy Prime Minister - Plenipotentiary of the President of the Russian Federation in the Far Eastern Federal District Yuri Trutnev.
More and more Chinese companies are becoming residents of priority development areas and the free port of Vladivostok. Currently, 24 projects with a total investment of $3.35 billion are at various stages of implementation, 21 of which are in the Primorsky Territory. Over the past two years, the People's Republic of China has become the record holder in terms of the number of investments in the economy of the Far East among the countries of the Asia-Pacific Region (APR).
In total, 29 companies with Chinese investments have become residents of the ASEZ and FPV in the Far East. They invest in the creation of processing industries, in the agro-industrial sector and the development of aquaculture, in the construction of residential and commercial real estate, in the energy sector and transport and logistics projects.
Areas of interest
The first resident with Chinese investment launched production at the end of last year. The Yubo-Sumotori company, together with the manufacturer of heavy-duty equipment FAW, used the FPV mode to create an assembly plant in Artyom. Investments, first of all, amounted to 28 million rubles .
The first dump trucks were purchased by coastal companies operating in the coal and construction industry. In the future, the manufacturer intends to expand the sales market to Siberia, the Urals and other regions of the country.
Previously, such equipment was purchased abroad. The free port mode helped us to localize the assembly in Primorye. In the first quarter, we produced more than 30 machines, plans for this year- from 350 to 500 pieces of equipment, in 2019 - 2 thousand trucks. Now we employ about 30 people, at the second stage the number of jobs will increase to 52, - told the correspondent of the Far Eastern United Edition director of the company Konstantin Gurkovich.
Other projects are at different stages of implementation. Thus, six FPV residents chose the design and construction of housing, hotels and other real estate as their areas of activity.
Several large-scale projects are being developed in the field of animal husbandry, crop production and aquaculture. So, in the Mikhailovsky TOP, the Zhongding Dairy Farmin agricultural holding, which is one of the five largest milk producers in China, will invest more than $300 million in the creation a livestock complex for 50,000 heads of cattle and the production of 500 tons of milk per day, and will also create its own fodder base on an area of 50,000 hectares. Most of the products will be exported to China and the market of the Asia-Pacific countries.
The complex will create a total of more than 2,000 jobs. The agreement with the Russian side stipulates that only 300 of them will be occupied by Chinese citizens, the rest are intended for local residents. The company has already invested $18.3 million to lease land, build a farm, purchase machinery and the first batch of dairy herds. 70 jobs have been created, 40 of which are occupied by local residents.
At the first stage, one of the residents will invest $33 million in the aquaculture development project in Primorsky Krai.
"The company "Far Eastern Mariculture" He Xiang ", which we created for implementation, will be engaged in the production, processing and sale of seafood. We are one of the first Chinese companies to engage in aquaculture in the Russian Far East, using the most Hi-tech. We have our own fleet and large bases, which allows us to find markets in different countries. We will create about 500 jobs for local residents," he said. Zhang Junfen, president of Yantai Tongxiang Foods.
Another resident (the company "Wen Liang - Aquaculture") guaranteed in an agreement with the Far East Development Corporation that it would invest about 9.5 billion rubles in the construction of a plant for growing scallop, trepang, mussels and seaweed (about 40 thousand tons per year) and will create more than a thousand new jobs.
The VELES-Snack company will set up the production of fish and seafood products in the Nadezhdinskaya ASEZ, the amount of declared investments is 135 million rubles, of which the share of the Chinese investor is 108 million rubles.
Also, Chinese entrepreneurs organize in Ussuriysk innovative enterprise for the processing of old tires by pyrolysis, the production of OSB boards and formwork , build a refrigeration complex; in the Nadezhdinsky district - a leather factory and a diaper shop; in the Shkotovsky district - a complex for the production of metal structures.
Work is actively underway on transport projects that have a large multiplier effect on the economies of Russia and China, especially for border regions. The most ambitious is the development of the international transport corridors "Primorye-1" and "Primorye-2". The potential of transit cargoes gravitating to them from the provinces of Heilongjiang and Jilin is about 45 million tons.
Reference: A memorandum on cooperation in the development of these ITCs was signed in July 2017 during a working visit to Moscow by Chinese President Xi Jinping. The parties agreed to develop the ITC infrastructure, ensure a "seamless" transit regime, support the construction of logistics parks and stimulate the development of cross-border e-commerce.
The China Communications and Construction Company, the Guanda Company and the China Road and Bridge Corporation are showing interest in the construction of ITC infrastructure facilities on a concession basis. Agreements were reached on the creation of a Russian-Chinese working group, which will prepare a financial and economic model for each facility.
"We have all the conditions for the further development of bilateral relations and the deepening of multifaceted cooperation. China has begun a new era in its history. We will follow a new concept of development, a policy of openness, and create the most comfortable and liberal conditions for trade and investment cooperation," he stressed. emergency and plenipotentiary Chinese Ambassador to Russia Mr. Li Hui.
TOP on the Russian-Chinese border
China and Russia also agreed to create a cross-border territory of advanced development in the area of border checkpoints in Primorye and Suifenhe in China. Such a statement was made in Harbin, at the opening ceremony of the Years of Interregional Cooperation between Russia and China. The project is being developed by a working group formed as part of the intergovernmental Russian-Chinese commission for the development of regions. The total investment in the project could be about $2 billion.
"Inside the ASEZ, free movement (without visas) of people, goods and services, as well as a duty-free trade regime are provided. It is also planned to build enterprises for the production of competitive export products, shopping and entertainment facilities to attract tourists from China. Residents will be able to supply their products to the markets of both countries," the ministry's press service said.
The cross-border ASEZ will be managed by a "supervisory board of representatives of the interested departments of Russia and China." More detailed information will be ready for the IV Eastern Economic Forum, which will be held in Vladivostok from 11 to 13 September.
Reference : According to the Ministry for the Development of the Far East, total area cross-border TASED in adjacent territories near the checkpoints Pogranichny "(Primorsky Territory) and Suifenhe" (Heilongjiang Province) - 413 hectares. On the Russian site, 233 hectares of land have been identified for the project, on the Chinese - 180 hectares. The volume of investments from the Russian side is $355.8 million, from the Chinese - about $1.6 billion.
TOP "Russian Island"
Chinese companies are also showing great interest in creating a priority development area on Russky Island in Vladivostok. It is focused on the development of high technologies, scientific research, digital economy projects and projects in the field of medicine and tourism development.
At last year's Eastern Economic Forum, the Far East Development Fund (FEDF) signed a partnership agreement with the Silk Road Research and Planning Center in the project to create a Center for International Cooperation. It will become the core of the Russky Island development concept approved by the Russian government.
A congress and exhibition center and hotels, research and treatment centers, a multifunctional sports and recreation complex, an international business center, housing, and tourist infrastructure facilities will be built here. It is here that major international events, including the WEF, are planned to be held in the future.
"We expect that the Center for International Cooperation will become a pilot project of a comprehensive international program in the field of healthcare and a practical step in the implementation of mutually beneficial initiatives within the framework of the global strategy "One Belt, One Road". Strong partners from Asia have united around the project, plus the unique competitive advantages of the region "More than a billion people live within a two-hour flight to Vladivostok. According to experts, by 2020 the tourist flow in Primorye will reach 7 million people," said Alexey Chekunkov, General Director of the FRDV.
The consortium created to implement the project already unites about a dozen companies (China Huaxin Group, Universal Medical Financial & Technical Advisory Services Company, Sunac China (Beijing), China Chengtong International Investment, China National Culture & Art Company, etc.). Recently to the pool international investors joined China Communications Construction Corporation - one of the world leaders in the design and construction of ports, residential and commercial real estate, roads, bridges, railways, subways and airports. The concern is considering both the possibility of direct investment, including in the construction of an international convention and exhibition center, and participation in the design, construction and management of facilities.
Reference:The total area of real estate objects to be built is about 1.7 million square meters. meters, overall budget project - more than 140 billion rubles.
The material was prepared by the Far Eastern United Editorial Board (DOR)
Image copyright getty Image caption The environmental situation in China has deteriorated significantly during the years of industrialization
China has offered to move part of its factories - including chemical and metallurgical ones - to the Russian Far East. The Ministry for the Development of the Far East likes the idea, but environmentalists do not share the optimism of officials.
Plans to move part of the production abroad appeared in China in November 2014. This is how the authorities are going to solve the problem of pollution environment- Rapid industrialization has led to a catastrophic deterioration of the ecological situation in the country.
At one time, the West built enterprises light industry in China, "exporting" there ecological problems, noted Tom Miller of research company Gavekal Dragonomics. "Now China has reached a stage in its development when it wants to export non-environmentally friendly production, creating metallurgical plants and other enterprises in poor countries," Miller said.
China's production facilities will move primarily as part of the fight against environmental pollution, Bloomberg emphasized.
“The logic is partly the same as that of Japan and many other countries that endured dirty production in the 70s and 80s - this is not a search for cheaper labor, it is more of an environmental story,” agrees the head of the Russia in Asia -Pacific Region" Carnegie Moscow Center Alexander Gabuev.
The country's authorities and official media report that this initiative will help eliminate another problem - overproduction. Chinese steel, cement and glass producers have excess capacity that is not needed now that the economy is no longer growing at 10% a year.
To begin with, China intends to "unload" the largest steel producer - the province of Hebei, and with it the entire north of the country, where air pollution is much stronger than in the south.
Image copyright Reuters Image caption Residents of many industrial cities China is getting used to constant smogHebei Province is home to seven of China's most polluted cities and is the largest source of sulfur dioxide in the country. Every year, 200 million tons of steel are produced here - that's twice as much as the US produces, and a quarter of China's production.
The Chinese authorities intend to provide preferences to local companies, stimulating the transfer of production abroad. In the plans for 2014, it was primarily about Africa, Western Asia and Southeast Asia. Then Russia was not on this list.
northern neighbor
China agreed with Russia on the "export" of production capacity in December last year. The exact details of the agreements are unknown - so far only a memorandum has been signed. The list of Chinese enterprises that may end up in Russia is not yet known, Leonid Agafonov, adviser to the head of the Ministry for the Development of the Russian Far East, told the BBC Russian Service.
It is only known that these will be enterprises in 12 industries, among them: metallurgy, energy, engineering, shipbuilding, construction, telecommunications, agriculture, as well as textile, chemical and cement industries.
Chinese business will receive tax breaks and administrative preferences in the Far East, said Rustam Makarov, spokesman for the ministry.
The interest of Russian officials is understandable - it is necessary to equip the Far East (for this a separate ministry was created). China in the current conditions is the most obvious partner, given the proximity of transport and the "turn to the east" proclaimed by the Kremlin.
Image copyright getty Image caption Russian authorities began to speak louder about partnership with Asian countries after the introduction of Western sanctionsThe PRC is particularly interested in such mechanisms as advanced development territories (TOR) and the Free Port of Vladivostok, says Agafonov. The adviser to the minister cited the construction of an oil refinery in the Amur Region as an example of successful attraction of investments.
In April 2015, the Amur Refinery project received priority status. The project was initiated by the Amur Energy Company, which is 90% controlled by an enterprise from Heihe, a city in the border province of Heilongjiang. Under the terms of agreements with local authorities, the refinery will supply 90% of oil products to China, raw materials will be purchased in Russia.
Alexander Gabuev of the Carnegie Center believes that the success of Chinese enterprises that will be transferred to Russia is doubtful, since one of the reasons for this initiative is the elimination of excess capacity in China.
“Here, it seems to me, we come to the most interesting point. How will these enterprises that will be relocated work in a competitive market? Even if these plants are built, how will they earn money, how will they integrate into the world market? And what is the competitive advantage of the Far East?" - the expert lists his questions to the project.
In the Far East, you always run into a small market, not a very developed infrastructure, a monstrous Russian legislation Alexander Gabuev
Among the competitive advantages of the Far East, he lists cheap electricity and less stringent environmental oversight (China has now become much stricter in monitoring harmful emissions in production).
“What exactly we will gain in terms of making money in the future is not yet very clear. Although it seems to me that jobs and industrial potential are always good. Another question is that in the Far East you always run into a small market, not very developed infrastructure, the monstrous Russian legislation, its implementation in terms of exports and, roughly speaking, to the Russian customs, where everything usually gets stuck," Gabuev complains.
It is also not known on what conditions the plants will be created in Russia, he continues. In particular, it is not clear who will build the enterprises and then work for them: the Russians or the Chinese.
Among the many unknowns, the Russian authorities have clarified only one point: all projects in without fail will comply with Russian environmental standards. This condition is more important than mutual interest, noted the head of the department Alexander Galushka. He believes that there is no need to fear the arrival of "dirty" industries. Ecologists have a different opinion on this matter.
"Clean work?
"China has never been distinguished by environmentally friendly and safe production," says Nina Lesikhina, coordinator of the Greenpeace Russia toxic program.
As an example, she cites the recent tragedy in Tianjin (a city in China bordering Hebei Province), where explosions occurred in chemical warehouses last August. As a result, more than 170 people died, more than a thousand cars were destroyed, and highly toxic substances were released.
Image copyright AFP Image caption Explosions in Tianjin became one of the largest man-made disasters in China for last yearsGreenpeace believes that the transfer of part of Chinese production to the Far East may lead to an increase in environmental risks not only for the region, but for the entire country.
"Unfortunately, the environmental requirements established in Russia, taking into account which it is planned to transfer Chinese enterprises, are extremely weak and, as a rule, not observed in practice. Recently, there has been an active process of degradation of environmental legislation in the interests of business," notes Lesikhina.
Ecologists note that many hazardous chemicals used in Chinese factories are not subject to rationing and, therefore, control in Russia. "This means that in the case of the transfer of Chinese production, these substances, together with sewage and emissions from enterprises will continue to flow, but into our air and our rivers,” adds a representative of Greenpeace Russia.
On forums and social networks, residents of the Far East not only express fears that an increase in the number of plants and factories will harm nature, but also fear the strengthening of China's influence in the region. Suffice it to recall the reaction caused by the news that Transbaikal region offered to lease 115,000 hectares of land to the Chinese.
Journalists, deputies and public figures suggested that the lease would be followed by the colonization of Siberia and the subsequent annexation of the region. On the Internet, they even began collecting signatures asking them to refuse to lease land to China.
The attitude towards the activities of China among the inhabitants of Moscow and the Far East are different things, says Gabuev. "There on the ground, judging by my trips, you can't see real threats and the real level of local dissatisfaction with China," he notes.
© RIA Novosti
China begins the "conquest" of the Russian Far East
Russians will soon run outParticipation in the development plans of this region is very important for Beijing due to the rich reserves of raw materials
Vladivostok, 31 July. With more than 20,000 Chinese enterprises and about 70,000 Chinese immigrants living in the Russian Far East, Beijing is becoming a key player in this isolated region, which is of great importance to it due to its rich reserves of raw materials.
Crossing the Sino-Russian border through the Suifenhe checkpoint, located in northeast China, the first thing that catches your eye is that Russia has ceased to be a “big brother” in relations with Beijing, which only a quarter of a century ago faithfully followed communist ideology imposed by the Soviet regime.
New roads and shopping centers located on the Chinese side, where you can see all kinds of goods and food, contrast sharply with the infrastructure of the last century and dilapidated roads of Primorsky Krai. They are not even able to provide communication between the main economic enterprises this region.
China is a key player in the development of Primorsky Krai. Its share in the regional gross domestic product reaches 20%, said the representative of the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation in the Primorsky Territory, Oleg Lipaev.
“50% of agricultural products, especially fruits and herbs, which are sold on Russian market are made in China. If the Chinese stop exporting their greens, the price will probably triple," the official said in an interview.
In Vladivostok, Primorsky Krai's capital, a port city of 750,000 and strategically important to Russia because of its access to the Pacific Ocean, the Chinese control most of the markets where locals buy everyday goods, from clothing to rice.
Four of the city's main markets are owned by 37-year-old Chinese entrepreneur Liu De Shang, who is also chairman of the Sino-Russian Association of Entrepreneurs. He has been doing business in Russia for 15 years.
About two thousand Chinese work in the largest of its markets, selling a wide variety of Chinese-made goods in stalls. All business is strictly controlled by the citizens of the Celestial Empire.
They produce goods, bring them to Russia and sell them here at retail.
Liu's story best captures the success that enterprising Chinese can achieve in this industrially underdeveloped region of Russia.
“I worked as a chef in China for many years, and in 1995 I decided to quit everything and started selling boots in Russia, produced in the Chinese province of Heilongjiang,” says Liu de Shang.
“In 58 days, I made my first fortune: 24,000 rubles, which equaled $780,” recalls the well-connected man in all walks of life with a smile.
“Business took off and we opened our first store. Subsequently, they bought an adjoining building, removed the wall and expanded the business,” says Liu, who has become a legendary figure in his village.
And the whole point is that more than 120 relatives and acquaintances are involved in the business, which has spread to other regions of Russia (four shopping centers in Vladivostok, two in Khabarovsk, as well as the trading premises of his brother in Moscow).
The migration of Chinese who work in mining, construction or markets has especially increased since the 1990s, when industry in the north of the country fell into disrepair due to the privatization of bankrupt state-owned enterprises.
The Russian authorities do not have data on the exact number of Chinese in the country, but according to various estimates, there are about 70,000 of them, who arrived both legally and illegally, in three regions in northeast Russia. This causes a certain tension and xenophobic sentiment, as the Russians see how the Chinese enrich themselves on their territory.
Cross-border trade, which is based on the exchange of Russian raw materials for Chinese goods, is a concern here, as it is in some Latin American countries.
“The problem is that it is impossible to compete with China. Each time they supply more and more high-tech goods, which entails consequences at the local level and determines the existence of our entire industry,” said Lipaev.
He stressed that it was for this reason that the government of the Russian Federation introduced a tax on the export of metals, timber and oil.
in the Chinese province of Heilongjiang the average size wages ranges from 60 to 100 dollars. We have 600 in Primorsky Krai. How can we compete with them?” Lipaev asks, without expressing much optimism about the future.
“In the near future, trade with China will be profitable, especially for people who have access to cheap goods. But in 10-15 years, China will certainly pose a threat and create obstacles to job creation in the local labor market,” the official warned.
However, some experts are more optimistic, as they believe that Chinese investment, goods and immigrants offer a chance to develop the region, which is in economic and demographic decline.
“We still have Soviet thinking, which makes us think that foreign investment mining is a form of colonialism and dependence on foreign countries,” said Victor Larin, an expert on Russian-Chinese relations.
“I think that the eastern part of Russia may lose the opportunity. China is not a threat but an opportunity,” he added.
Larin welcomed the intergovernmental agreements signed in 2009 by Russian President Dmitry A. Medvedev and Chinese President Hu Jintao and aimed at further development economic relations, primarily in the field of extraction and use of natural resources.
However, some criticize China's actions not only in Siberia, but also in Central Asia, Africa and Latin America, where Chinese investment in mineral development is not accompanied by a preliminary analysis of environmental and social consequences.
“To develop the mineral resources of Siberia, we propose the creation of joint Russian-Chinese enterprises operating in accordance with Russian legislation,” emphasizes Lipaev, who studied in China.
We need investments that respect Russian law, not roads or dams in exchange for oil. We don't need them," he said.
“We can build them ourselves,” Larin added, emphasizing the difference between his country and Central Asia, Southeast Asia and Africa, where China always wins by offering in exchange for Natural resources not only funding, but also building the necessary infrastructure.
“We want to remain an independent country and for this we will continue to do everything in our power as long as we can,” he said.
On Monday, March 13, Governor of the Amur region Alexander Kozlov, other Far Eastern governors and the plenipotentiary to the Far Eastern Federal District Yuri Trutnev met with Chinese investors who are ready to participate in the development of the economy of the Far East and the Amur Region. The meeting was held in Khabarovsk, reports Russian government website. Earlier, Russian environmentalists opposed the transfer of Chinese enterprises to the Far East. /website/
Chinese investors are traditionally interested in development Agriculture. To this end, they offered to lease up to 100,000 hectares of land in the Amur Region, where they would grow soybeans.
“In my opinion, it is beneficial for the region that the land will be used, since it is not cultivated now, it is overgrown with shrubs. And in order to return it to its original state - to arable land - serious investments are needed, ”explained the deputy chairman of the Amur government, Vladislav Bakumenko, who participated in the meetings with the Amur governor.
The meeting participants also talked about the construction of an oil refinery in the Amur Region, which will supply about 30% of gasoline to the Far Eastern regions, and 70% to China. They also discussed the construction of a power plant, part of the energy of which will be exported to China.
At the meeting, China Paper Corporation confirmed its readiness to invest more than $1 billion in construction in Amursk ( Khabarovsk region) pulp and paper mill. The mill will produce several types of pulp for various kinds paper and cardboard. Its design capacity will be 500 thousand tons of softwood pulp per year. It is assumed that the company's products will be shipped to China.
According to the Ministry for the Development of the Far East, more than 50 new enterprises with an investment of 60 billion rubles are planned to be launched in the Far Eastern Federal District by the end of the year. This will create about 4,500 new jobs.
Experts are for the relocation of factories
Russian experts on the Far East supported the transfer of harmful Chinese enterprises to the Far East. We are talking about the transfer of enterprises in 12 different industries. In their opinion, new enterprises will start paying taxes to the budget, and their products will be exported. Russians will work at Chinese enterprises, which will solve the problem of jobs. “Successful enterprises with the attraction of foreign capital, in my opinion, are able to revive small towns, solve a number of social problems”, ― eastrussia.ru quotes the words of the chairman of the Legislative Assembly of the Jewish autonomous region Anatoly Tikhomirov.
“Russian environmental legislation is one of the toughest in the world. This is federally approved insurance. legislative level. The Chinese partners understand all this,” said Rustam Makarov, director of the Department of the Ministry for the Development of the Far East, in response to the claims of environmentalists. Chinese business will receive tax breaks and administrative preferences in the Far East, he said.
Against soy and plants
The governor of the Jewish Autonomous Region of the Russian Federation, Alexander Levintal, spoke earlier about the pollution of the land by the Chinese. He noted that 80% of the region's land is at the disposal of the Chinese. They sow the territory with soy, which "kills" the land, after which the soil becomes unusable. He recommended that these plots be excluded from the program for the distribution of the Far Eastern hectare.
The Chinese do not comply with any regulations when using the land. According to the Rosselkhoznadzor for the Republic of Khakassia, the Altai Territory, the Republic of Altai, the lands leased by the Chinese contain pesticides: arsenic, nitrates, nitrogen and fluorine above the limit. Such land can no longer be used.
The development of Russian territories by the Chinese causes excitement among local residents and environmentalists. The high level of environmental pollution in China forced him to look for new areas for the production and extraction of raw materials outside the country.
“China has never been distinguished by environmentally friendly and safe production,” says Nina Lesikhina, coordinator of the Greenpeace Russia toxic program.
“Unfortunately, the environmental requirements established in Russia, taking into account which it is planned to transfer Chinese enterprises, are extremely weak and, as a rule, are not observed in practice. Recently, there has been an active process of degradation of environmental legislation in the interests of business, ”the Air Force quotes Lesikhina as saying.
The ecologist noted that many chemicals used in China are not subject to rationing in Russia. Consequently, they will freely enter the rivers and atmosphere of Russia together with wastewater and emissions.
In addition, the publication "Kommersant. Vlast noted that the Chinese are willing to invest in Russia only if they transfer control over the financed enterprise, and this provokes protest from Russian business.