The Valdai Discussion Club took part in the business programme of the Eastern Economic Forum (EEF) for the seventh time. On September 11, at 10:00 local time (GMT+10), the Club eold a session, titled “Open Far East in the World Economy: Achievements and Plans for the Future”, featuring Yury Trutnev, Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation — Presidential Plenipotentiary Envoy to the Far Eastern Federal District.
The Valdai Club session at the EEF-2023 continues the Club’s flagship project dedicated to Russia’s turn to the East. During the discussion, the speakers analysed the dynamics of Russian-Asian cooperation after February 24, 2022, shared forecasts, and evaluated joint projects that are in demand amid the current situation.
The confrontation with the West is accelerating Russia’s pivot to the East. The Asia-Pacific Region (APR) has become central to Russia and replaced its former ties with Western economies. Asian countries, despite pressure from the West, retain their flexibility and have expanded trade with Russia. Asia’s pragmatism does not allow for a complete rupture of ties, as it happens in Europe, even in the face of deteriorating political relations with individual countries.
In this situation, the Far East has emerged as Russia’s “gateway” to Asia, to its system of international and economic relations. “Of course, we have something to offer to the countries of the Asia-Pacific and the Indian Ocean area. Russia is one of the world’s leading suppliers of food, oil, gas, valuable minerals, including rare earth metals. The vast majority of Russian exports of agricultural products go to Asian countries (60%). Over the past year, our foreign trade with many partners in the international arena, including Asia, has grown significantly,” Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said during a recent working visit to Indonesia.
The Valdai Club prepared a report for the EEF, titled “
Russia and Asia: Paradoxes of a New Reality”. It consists of a series of case studies conducted under the auspices of the Club this past spring. The authors of the report for the first time showed how the peculiarities of regional development and the conflict in Ukraine have affected Russia’s bilateral relations with each of the Asia-Pacific countries.
Andrey Bystritskiy, Chairman of the Board of the Foundation for Development and Support of the Valdai Discussion Club, made an opening speech at the beginning of the session.
Speakers:
-
Yuri Trutnev, Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation — Presidential Plenipotentiary Envoy to the Far Eastern Federal District
-
Alexander Timchenko, member of the FESCO Board of Directors
-
Anna Bessmertnaya,
Chairman of the Commission for Foreign Economic Cooperation with Chinese Partners of the Moscow Chamber of Commerce and Industry
-
Wang Wen, Executive Dean, Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies, Renmin University of China (RDCY)
- Sergey Pavlov, First Deputy Managing Director, Russian Railways
Moderator:
Working languages: Russian, English.