Highlights
- China and Russia are signalling their intent of working together to link the Russian ‘far east’ with the Asia-Pacific as part of a larger Eurasian integration plan.
- Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in Vladivostok — a coastal city in Russia’s resource-rich ‘far east’ — to discuss plans with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin for developing the region.
Economic forum
- Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and his South Korean counterpart Lee Nak-yeon have also marked their presence at the Eastern Economic Forum (EEF), which Mr. Putin is hosting.
- Commerce Minister Suresh Prabhu is leading an Indian delegation to the forum which observers term it as part of a fresh round of New Delhi’s engagement with Moscow, which will culminate in October when Prime Minister Narendra Modi will host Mr. Putin for the India-Russia annual summit.
Putin’s regional plan
- Analysts say that the presence of leaders from Japan and South Korea demonstrates the interest of key countries of the Asia-Pacific in realising Mr. Putin’s ambitious regional plan, which has China and other countries, including India, as possible partners.
- The Vladivostok conclave is being held amid a massive ongoing Russia-China joint military exercise — an indication of Beijing and Moscow’s intent to deter a military strike on Eurasia’s core.
- The Vostok-2018 is involving a mammoth 3,00,000 troops.
- Russia-China Investment Fund (RCIF) — a joint undertaking of the state-owned China Investment Corporation and Russian sovereign wealth fund — announced that a group of Russian and Chinese businesses are considering 73 joint investment projects, with a cumulative value of more than $100 billion.
- According to Russian media, Russia and China are also expected to discuss reconstruction in Syria.
- According to media sources, Moscow and Beijing are unlikely to compete in the economic recovery of Syria.
Comments (0)