The Far East is traditionally called the territory of Russia, located off the coast of the Pacific and partially Arctic Oceans, as well as the Kuril, Commander, Shantar Islands and Sakhalin Island. The Far East is a huge territory, 36% of the total area of modern Russia.
Geography and climate
The length of the region from Chukotka to the southwest to the borders of Korea and Japan is 4500 km. It captures the Arctic Circle, where snow lies all year round. The lands in the northern part of the Far East are bound by permafrost, on which the tundra grows. In fact, almost the entire territory of the Far East, except for Primorye and the southern half of Kamchatka, is located in the permafrost zone.
To the south the climate and nature change considerably. In the south of the Far East, taiga trees coexist with plants from the subtropics (which is not repeated almost anywhere in the world).
Far East. Nature
In the view of the majority, and in fact, the Far East is a vast taiga, mountains and other irregularities of the territory that attract extreme tourists so much. The rivers Amur, Penzhin, Anadyr and a number of less significant ones flow here.
The relief of the Far East has a strongly rugged character and is represented mainly by mountainous forms. There are several watershed ranges: Kolyma, Dzhugdzhur, Yablonovyo and Stanovoy. There are powerful mountain systems, for example: the Tukuringra and Jagdy ranges. The peaks of the mountain ranges of the Far East, as a rule, do not exceed 2500 m.
The landscapes of the Far East are very diverse. Plains stretch along its tributaries. In the north and west, these plains are covered with southern taiga forests of special Daurian larch. In the south, on the flat Prikhankaysko-Amur lowland, unique Manchurian broad-leaved forests grow. Many relict and southern plants are found in them: Mongolian oak, Amur linden, white-bark elm, Manchurian ash, hornbeam, cork tree.
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The vast lowlands located between the mountain ranges are very interesting for their flora and fauna: Zee-Bureinskaya, Nizhne-Amurskaya, Ussuriyskaya and Prikhankayskaya. But in general, the plains occupy no more than 25% of the area of the region.
Winters are severe and with little snow, summers are relatively warm and with heavy rainfall. Winter is characterized by weak winds, a large number of sunny days, little snow and severe frosts. Especially gets from frost to the inhabitants of the most remote mainland, for example, in Transbaikalia. Here, on average, up to 10 mm of precipitation falls during the winter. Sometimes you can't go sledding either.
Rains in the Far East, the closer to China and the sea, the more similar to showers in the tropics, but only in intensity, but not in temperature. In the summer in the Far East, you can easily come across a swamp; the swampiness of the territories reaches 15-20%.
The tastiest piece of Russia for the damned imperialists. The richest region, the natural pantry of diamonds (in Yakutia more than 80% of all reserves of Russia), in almost every subject of the region there are gold deposits (50% of Russia's reserves), deposits of non-ferrous metals, minerals, there is coal, and oil, and gas.
Cities of the Russian Far East
To big cities include Vladivostok, Khabarovsk. These cities are of great economic and geostrategic importance for the country. Blagoveshchensk, Komsomolsk-on-Amur, Nakhodka, Ussuriysk, Magadan should also be mentioned.
The city of Yakutsk has special meaning for the entire region. But in Chukotka there are endangered settlements. The places there are harsh and hard to reach - people leave.
Population of the Far East
There are many nationalities in the Far East, but Russians predominate everywhere. Russians are about 88%, the second group is Ukrainians - about 7%. There are, of course, Koreans, Chinese (which is not surprising), Belarusians, Jews.
The population of the Far East is 6.3 million people. (about 5% of the population of Russia).
Indigenous peoples:
- Yakuts,
- Dolgans, Evenki and Eveny in the north,
- the northeast is occupied by the Eskimos and Chukchi,
- on the islands - Aleuts,
- in Kamchatka - Itelmens and Koryaks,
- in the Amur basin and to the east of it - Nanai, Ulchi, terms, Orochi, Udege, Nivkhs.
The number of Yakuts is about 380 thousand people, Evenks - 24 thousand. And the rest - no more than 10 thousand people. Difficult living conditions have determined that the urban population prevails over the rural. On average, 76% of the population of the Far East lives in cities.
The foundations of Russia's Far Eastern policy in relations with the countries of the Asia-Pacific region were laid in the past, when the development of the eastern territories of Russia had just begun in the 17th century. Historical background testifies that with the discovery of the Far East, the process of developing new lands began. Numerous campaigns of Russian explorers discovered new lands in the eastern part of the country. In turn, the accession of the Far Eastern lands to Russia was mainly positive for the indigenous population, and the Tsarist government took into account the strategic need for this region. The Far East of Russia possessed colossal rich natural resources, and for many decades remained a raw materials appendage of the country. Throughout the Soviet period, Siberia and the Far East were considered as the raw material and energy base of the state's economy.
As a result of the discovery, study and economic development of the territory of the Far East in the XVII-XIX centuries. this region became an inseparable part of Russia, linking the continental regions of the Urals and Siberia with the Pacific Ocean, foreign countries of East Asia. The formation of agriculture and industry in the Far East in the 17th century contributed to the intensive development of trade. There was an exchange of goods between regions, feudal relations were established over time. Together with significant economic potential, these eastern territories have become a bridge connecting Russia with the countries of the Asia-Pacific region.
Thus, for almost two centuries (XVII-XIX centuries), the main problem remained at the center of Russia's foreign policy in the Far East - the settlement of relations with the two largest neighbors - China and Japan, since there were serious disagreements between Russia and these countries over territorial question.
Establishing cooperation between Russia and China was seen as an opportunity for further advancement of Russia into East Asia. The political weight of China in the region had an impact on foreign economic activity and peace policy in general, which were fundamental factors in international relations. This was characterized by especially tense relations between the two countries, due to serious disagreements over territorial borders. The definition of these borders between Russia and China was accompanied by numerous negotiations, as a result of which the interstate relations of the parties were enshrined in the Nerchinsk Treaty of 1689, where the solution of the Amur problem was transferred from the military to the diplomatic sphere.
This made it possible to continue foreign economic relations between Russia and China, since both states understood that without the development of foreign trade relations, it would not be possible to achieve a rise in the national economy. Thus, Russia got the opportunity to conduct free trade on Chinese territory, which contributed to the stabilization of the political and international situation in the Far East. In essence, in the development of the Russian Far East during the years of the first and civil wars, the features of geopolitical ambivalence intensified, making this Pacific outskirts of Russia a potential object of forceful redistribution of territories and spheres of influence. In an atmosphere of uncertainty in the eastern borders of Russia, where China's intentions to take possession of these territories were too obvious. Therefore, in 1856, the Minister of Foreign Affairs A.M. Gorchakov firmly determined the line of Russian-Chinese relations and the line of the peaceful settlement of the Amur issue. The Chinese government, in view of the development of the Amur region by Russia, refused to establish good neighborly relations and announced its claims to the lands of the Amur region adjacent to the islands of Bolshoi Ussuriysk and Tarabarov.
It should be noted that territorial disputes were also observed in Russia's relations with Japan. As a result of the advance of the Russians to the Kuril Islands from the north, and the Japanese - from the south, by the middle of the 19th century, the Russian-Japanese border developed between the islands of Iturup and Urup. During the Russo-Japanese War of 1904, Russia ceded to Japan part of Sakhalin Island south of the fiftieth parallel of northern latitude. This continued until the end of the Second World War, until the Yalta Agreement of 1945 came into force, according to which legal confirmation was received of the transfer of the Kuril Islands to the USSR. However, Russia and Japan still continue to regard the borders of the Kuril Islands as their own and thus prevent the establishment of a trusting partnership between these countries.
At the beginning of the 20th century, the rapid growth of the internationalization of the economic and cultural life of the region was observed in the Russian Far East, which was greatly facilitated by intensive trade and economic ties with neighboring countries of East Asia. The initial course towards the integration of the Soviet Far East into the rapidly growing Pacific economy was premature due to the weak population and remoteness from the supply centers of the USSR. This was the main obstacle to the implementation of the task of "powerful economic growth" while relying on external resources. The Far East of Russia under Soviet rule, instead of an economically prosperous region, turned into a military zone.
In March 1920, the Far Eastern Republic was proclaimed, including Transbaikalia, the Amur Region and Primorye. After the formation of the Far Eastern Republic, the Soviet government tried to improve relations with China, using this region as a buffer. Thus, by the end of the 1920s, reliable and effective protection of the Pacific borders of the USSR was provided in the Far East, which fully justified itself during the Second World War. Naval base presence Pacific Fleet The USSR did not allow the Japanese militarists to commit an act of aggression from which many countries of the Asia-Pacific region suffered.
In the 1950s-1960s, the foreign policy of the USSR in the Far East was carried out within the framework of an administrative-command system and assumed not coordination, but subordination of regions to the interests of the state. Regional policy on the part of the state was limited only to external security and territorial integrity. The military-political situation in the Russian Far East slowed down its economic development and "opening" to the outside world. The Asia-Pacific countries were extremely concerned about the buildup of military potential in this region, as evidenced by the Decree of the Central Committee of the CPSU and the Council of Ministers of the USSR in 1972. It refers to the strengthening and additional development of defense industries in the Far East. Such measures were dictated by the maintenance of military-political parity in the conditions of the Cold War. The navy on the eastern borders of the country was considered the highest priority. This is an outpost of military power in the Pacific Ocean, which was the superiority of the USSR over other countries.
Until the end of the 1980s, the foreign policy strategy of the USSR focused on the development of the military component to the detriment of the economic one. As a result, the USSR was forced out of the region of Northeast Asia both economically and politically. Despite the disproportionate development of the RFE, nevertheless, there was an increase in its economic activity. Let's look at the facts: in 1985, the Far Eastern Region accounted for more than 40% of the all-Union fish and seafood production, up to 13% of timber exports, which brought the Far East region into a number of priority regions of the country. This was also facilitated by the Long-Term State Program for Economic and social development Far Eastern region and Transbaikalia for the period up to 2000. It was assumed that this program in the process of implementation will help overcome the socio-economic difficulties that have developed in the Russian Far East. However, the reforms of the 1990s partially suspended this program, with all the ensuing consequences. The population of this region is still experiencing great difficulties caused by perestroika.
In the 1990s, the Russian Far East, left alone with difficulties, moved away from the central part of the country, and found it necessary to establish cooperation with the outside world. Between these external forces, a struggle began to unfold for spheres of geopolitical and geo-economic influence, the main goal of which was their desire to gain access to the natural resources of the Russian Far East. Accordingly, the region, being in the center of attention of a number of foreign countries, especially the countries of East Asia, focused on economic cooperation with them. This kind of became the predominant strategy in the socio-economic development of the Russian Far East and relied on the raw material sector of the economy.
At the turn of the 21st century, geopolitical changes largely influenced the structure of international relations with an increasing focus on regional ties. In this regard, Russia has undergone tremendous changes: 70% of Russian borders have remained (undefended) dangerous and unreliable. There are three times as many neighboring states as there were a few years ago. Accordingly, the relative importance of the Asian component increased. The undeveloped gigantic Siberia is increasingly becoming the geopolitical center of the state. However, Russia's former place in the Asia-Pacific region and in the world was no longer viewed as a great power, but rather as a regional one in the post-Soviet space. In this regard, Russia and 24 constituent entities of the Russian Federation for the first time found themselves in the position of border territories with 30% of the population. On their territory there are important strategic objects of the armed forces, objects of the industrial complex, transport communications, nuclear power plants and enterprises with a potential environmental hazard, the vulnerability of which complicates the preparation and implementation of strategic measures.
The bottom line is that most of the eastern territories of Russia are inefficient in terms of developing their subsoil and remain undeveloped due to insufficient infrastructure. The true reason for the current state of the Russian Far East is the insufficiently mature economic activity, weak economy and infrastructure, generated by geographical remoteness from the main, economically developed regions of the country. Undoubtedly, these regions contribute to the development of our country to improve the economic well-being of Russia.
In 2000, the Russian Far East was renamed the Far Eastern Federal District. The FEFD includes ten subjects of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), Primorsky Krai, Khabarovsk Krai, Amur Region, Kamchatka Region, Magadan Region, Sakhalin Region, Jewish Autonomous Region, Koryaksky and Chukotka Autonomous Okrugs. The Far East Federal District is the largest economic and geographical region of Russia, the territory of which is 6 million 215.9 thousand square meters. km., that is, 36.4% of the territory of Russia. More than 80% of the territory of the Russian Far East belongs to the Far North, almost? - mountainous areas. The population according to 2002 data is 7 million 107 thousand people, or 4.91% of the Russian population. This figure, according to the data of 2004, has changed a lot, which indicates a gradual decline in the population of the Russian Far East with a population of 6 million 634 thousand people. The Far East region produces 4-5% of Russia's GNP. The trends in the recovery of the economic sectors of the Far Eastern economy today are as follows:
According to the State Statistics Committee, as of January 1, 2000, the population was 7.2%, and at the end of 2015, 6.6% is expected.
§ The economy of the Far East is aimed at the development of industry connected, first of all, with the peculiarities of its natural conditions and resources. Huge fish resources are concentrated in the seas of the Far East. No fishing region in the country has such a variety of fish, marine animals and algae that the Far East basin is characterized by.
§ The number of core industries in the Far East also includes the timber and timber processing industries. It is based on rich and diverse forest resources.
§ Mining of non-ferrous metals and minerals is still the dominant industry in the Far Eastern Federal District.
§ The mining industry and the primary processing of natural raw materials predominate in the national economy of the Far East.
§ Seaports of the Far East, as is known, play an important role in providing transport and economic links between individual territorial parts of the Far East and foreign countries.
However, difficulties of an economic and political nature should not affect the development of integration processes with the countries of East Asia. Here it is important to develop attraction of the latest developments in the field of information technologies and sources of financing. The activation of Russia in integration processes with the neighboring countries of the Asia-Pacific region as a priority contributes to their strengthening and largely depends on the stability of the internal situation, which in turn determines the nature of interstate relations.
The Russian Far East, as an economic and geostrategic zone, finds an incentive for development in attracting foreign capital and includes the mining industry, the fishery complex, the forestry industry, natural resources, rail and sea transport. Thus, the Far Eastern region of Russia most of all strives to raise its economic well-being and for this it has all the levers for cooperation with foreign countries and thereby serves to strengthen Russia with the countries of the Asia-Pacific region. The strategic interest of the Asia-Pacific countries in Russia is caused by mutually beneficial cooperation in the field of energy and environmental management. The lack of own resources in these countries forces them to cooperate with the Russian Far East. In this regard, the development of multilateral cooperation, which is currently being implemented only within the framework of the fuel and energy complex of the Sakhalin and, in the future, the Tumangan projects, is most indicative. However, these projects are being implemented too slowly due to the passivity of the partner countries. First of all, investors are in no hurry to invest in the underdeveloped economy of the Far East region. In addition, they often face the difficulties of Russian legislation, the lack of a favorable investment climate, low productivity and efficiency. The situation is complicated by the impending threat of terrorism, shadow economy, corruption, tendencies of nationalism and extremism.
In addition, the economic instability of the Russian Far East makes Russia's foreign policy extremely difficult. This opens up a wide field of activity for regional diplomacy. In the first years of perestroika, paradiplomacy relied mainly on the initiative and actions of the regional authorities. They exercised their prerogatives outside the country's constitution, because they believed that the situation was better visible on the ground than from the Center. It was clear that the inconsistency of relations between the regions and the Center directly affects the authority of the Russian state in the world, the state of its defense capability, economy, political and social processes. However, the remoteness and relative economic and geographical isolation from the European center of Russia makes the Russian Far East a natural partner for the Asia-Pacific countries.
Some foreign researchers in their forecasts go even further, believing that the Russian Far East and Siberia may be drawn into the orbits of influence of Japan and China and even "involved in a war of tug-of-war between these two states." The conduct of Russia's flexible policy in the Asia-Pacific region allows for the multiplicity of the most diverse contradictions and conflicts between the Pacific states. The author is convinced that the full participation of the Russian Far East contributes to the activation of Russia's foreign policy strategy, in particular, regional cooperation with Japan and China. Therefore, Russia's integration into the Asia-Pacific region through the Far Eastern territories can occur at an accelerated pace in the event of a full-scale development of the Far East as a potentially attractive zone for international cooperation. The general state of the Far East region is to a large extent reflected by the participation of neighboring countries of the Asia-Pacific region in joint programs and enterprises, the activity of international symposiums, congresses, seminars on regional and global issues on external relations. This whole process will make it possible to assess the Asia-Pacific's confident ideas about the attractiveness of cooperation with Russia. It is appropriate to note that after a protracted period of "trial and error" - there is a mutually beneficial cooperation between the subjects of Russia and the countries of the outside world, where the development of regional relations is carried out between the Khabarovsk Territory, Primorsky Territory and the Sakhalin Region with such countries as China, the USA, two Koreas and Japan.
Consequently, for Russia, the development of the economic well-being of the Far East is an element of its geopolitics. The regional strategy for the development of the Far East is an instrument and part of Russia's geopolitical strategy. The strategy of Russia's geopolitical reorientation towards Asia consists in the consistent strengthening of its economic and political influence and participation in economic processes with the Asia-Pacific region. This, first of all, is manifested in the fact that Russia acts as a link between the countries of the Asia-Pacific region and Europe. And with the formation of appropriate integration structures, Russia can become one of the competitive states in the world economy. It should be noted that the transport and economic development of the Asian part of Russia is characterized by the creation of new transcontinental highways, zones of economic development and development. The essence of this development is to attract foreign capital in the economic development of the eastern regions of Russia. They need the creation of technologically complete inter-industry complexes with a pronounced export focus on the countries of Northeast Asia: transport, energy, agro-industrial, fishing, forestry and wood processing industries, metallurgical, mining and chemical and oil and gas chemical industries. The author believes that the energy structure of the RFE needs oriented and rational use of resources Pacific Ocean with an export orientation, primarily on the creation of transport links between Russia and the Asia-Pacific countries.
Suffice it to recall what an important role the Russian Far East plays between the countries of Northeast Asia and the Trans-Siberian Railway. Further development of this project, the so-called international Trans-Siberian container bridge, is connected with the trans-Korean railway to create a transport route between Asia and Europe. This project will make it possible in the future to ensure the transportation of goods, in particular, international containers from Korea and Northeast China, which cannot but bypass the territory of the Russian Far East as a future free economic zone.
In the vast expanse of the Far East and Transbaikalia, its natural and intellectual potential is a decisive factor in world economic activity. But due to the sparsely populated territory, these are not able to ensure the socio-economic rise of the Far Eastern region as a whole. The Russian economy needs foreign labor from China and North Korea.
For them, our region is attractive, as it helps to improve their own well-being. Representatives of these countries are experiencing great everyday difficulties, the solution of which they see outside their borders. They use legal and illegal means to cross them. Basically, they issue tourist visas that allow them to stay in the territory of another state. Thus, the eastern territories were gradually settled by a huge workforce from China and North Korea, which caused problems of migration. This contingent of people on the territory of Russia does not shun difficult working conditions, does not require special privileges and enjoys the confidence of local authorities. At the same time, residents of the RFE express their dissatisfaction, as migrants take their jobs. Thus, Russia and China still do not have clear outlines of interaction in resolving the problems of illegal migration.
As for other NEA countries, such as Japan and the Republic of Korea, they are of interest to the RFE and Russia as a whole due to their advanced technologies and economic and investment cooperation plans. They act as a financial donor, which makes it possible to turn the RFE into a competitive region in the world economy and in external relations. Based on the dynamics of regional cooperation, Russia should focus not only on the West, but also on the Asian region - politically much more fragile and controversial. In this regard, the Russian Far East is Russia's reliable key to the gates of the Asia-Pacific Region. This is facilitated by the geopolitical location of the Far East region, which makes it possible to maintain closer trusting relations with the leading countries of East Asia.
President of the Russian Federation VV Putin noted that Russia's full-fledged participation in the processes of economic cooperation in Asia and the Pacific is natural and inevitable. Today, we have a whole range of opportunities open to us: from cooperation in the energy sector, on economic issues, exploitation of the sea shelf to the development of transport links and the implementation of specific economic and investment projects. This point of view is typical for many leading experts in the field of external relations of the Russian Far East with the Asia-Pacific Region (P.A. Minakir, L.V. Larin, P.Ya. Baklanov, L.V. Zabrovskaya and others).
The borders of foreign economic activity of the Russian Far East and Northeast Asia contribute to the development of mutually beneficial cooperation. The long-term and geostrategic task of Russia is to ensure the military-political and economic influence of Russia in the Pacific Ocean, control over important strategic reserves raw materials and benefiting from effective inclusion on the basis of exploitation in the system of the international division of labor in this region of the world.
Thus, the export of raw materials can compensate for the reduction in domestic demand and support the dynamics of the general economic situation, then overcoming the crisis in the Russian Far East will ensure a moderate development and improvement of socio-economic life, the prosperity of the Russian Far East, the creation of a favorable and stable society. It should be noted that the structure of the foreign economic activity of the FER and the federal government of Russia does not always correspond to each other and to the unified foreign policy strategy of Russia in the Asia-Pacific region. In our opinion, the creation of a solid regulatory framework in this area to regulate the activities of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation and delineate their powers will make it possible to strengthen the role of the subjects in external relations.
It is the powers of the subjects of the Federation with foreign countries that will make it possible to carry out a mutually beneficial process in foreign economic activity. Those authors who argue that it is necessary to determine the geopolitical significance of the eastern borders and give them a special status by law, delimiting the duties of the state and local authorities, taking into account the factors of remoteness, nationality and climatic conditions, are right. The dissertation student fully shares the point of view of V.I.Ishaev, according to which the Far East and Transbaikalia require a special regulatory and legal field that is in force in the region and meets the character, its features, not only because it differs from the all-Russian standards, but also provides conditions for a paradigm shift development.
In this regard, an important element in the mechanism for coordinating international and foreign economic relations of the regions was the Consultative Council (CC) of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation established in 1994 under the Russian Foreign Ministry. The founding documents were federal laws: "On the state regulation of foreign trade activities" of October 13, 1995, "On the coordinating role of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation in pursuing a single foreign policy line of the Russian Federation" of 1996., "On the coordination of international and foreign economic relations of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation" of January 4, 1999
Decree of the President of the Russian Federation "On the coordinating role of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation in pursuing a unified foreign policy line of the Russian Federation" dated March 12, 1996
It must be said that without the relevant laws there would be no full and legally justified participation of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation in the development of external relations. Depending on the adopted laws, the regional factor in interstate relations is characterized by the strengthening of Russia's foreign policy in Northeast Asia. There is another important nuance that should be taken into account: by order of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, in accordance with the instructions of the President of the Russian Federation, following the meeting of the State Council of the Russian Federation on January 22, 2003, the Council of Heads of the Subjects of the Russian Federation was created. Its purpose is to promote the effectiveness of the participation of regions in ensuring the external interests of the Russian Federation.
The structure of Russia's foreign policy may be strengthened if Russia's foreign economic relations become more active. Currently, the share of Russian exports to the Asia-Pacific countries is more than 20%. The Far East region accounts for about 10% of all foreign investment in the Russian economy. The structure of the inflow of foreign investment in the RFE as a whole consists mainly of Japanese investment. Their share over the past 26 years in the region amounted to about 620 billion dollars, of which Russia received 0.054% of the total, and the Russian Far East - 0.025%.
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This table reflects that Japan accounts for a larger proportion of investments, but this does not mean at all that the development of the Russian Far East is completely dependent on Japanese capital. We are convinced that what is important here is not the size of the capital of a single state, but the direct participation of the leading countries of Northeast Asia, which in one way or another contribute to the economic rise of Russia's eastern borders. Socio-economic difficulties and demographic problems of the Far East region are the most urgent problems of the last decade.
The demographic potential of the Russian Far East is incomparably smaller than that of the central part of the country. In addition, this region has its own structural features: the population in the northern part (Magadan and Sakhalin Regions and the Republic of Sakha) is much smaller than in the southern part (Primorsky, Khabarovsk, Amur Territories). In 1989-1990s. According to available estimates, 11.3 thousand of the local population left the Far East. This was facilitated by the collapse of the economy and socio-political upheavals. This period proved to be a critical point in terms of population decline in the region. As of January 1, 1998, only 7336.3 thousand people lived in the Far East - this is 9% less than in 1991. At present, this trend continues. The population of the Far East as of January 1, 2004 was 6,634.1 people.
We draw attention to the fact that the demographic decline in the Far East region cannot ensure its full-scale development, which requires a huge amount of high-tech and human resources. Then due to what this region will develop those 50-60% of the planet's resources that are contained in its bowels. After all, it is well known that Russia has every chance to revive and acquire the status of a great power, if comparable in power to the leading states of the world, if it can effectively manage the wealth of its bowels. But the point is not only in the presence of Russia's mineral resources, the main thing is to skillfully combine Russia's economic stability with the full inclusion of the region in world economic ties with the leading countries of Northeast Asia. In this regard, the RFE should become not so much a showcase for Russia for the Asia-Pacific countries, but an attractive economic zone for intra-regional and external relations. According to the statement of the Minister of Foreign Affairs S.V. Lavrov, "the experience of recent years confirms how correct was the choice made back in the 90s of the last century by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the leadership of the subjects of the Federation in favor of establishing the closest cooperation in the development of international and foreign economic links between Russian regions.
Thus, cooperation between the RFE and neighboring countries of East Asia is being strengthened, it is becoming more efficient and effective, and the role of the RFE as an equal partner in the Pacific region is being strengthened. It should be emphasized that the solution of the long-term strategic task of the economic recovery of the Russian Far East also depends on the creation of the Pacific strategy of the Russian Federation. Within the framework of this study, the author tried to consider the WFD in the context of foreign policy and understand how the structure of the geopolitical strategy of reorientation is formed and how it affects the dynamics of international relations of border areas. The theoretical analysis of the developed strategy will allow specialists to comprehend this material in practice. For a comprehensive approach to this problem, it is necessary to study the dynamics of Russia's integration ties with the countries of Northeast Asia.
Cooperation between the Far East of Russia and American Alaska has great prospects, and this is due to both economic and political reasons - Alaska is trying to distance itself from Washington. This opinion was expressed by the expert Vladimir Vasiliev.
Alaska and the Russian Far East need to build relationships through joint work. This was stated by the mayor of the state's largest city of Anchorage Ethan Berkowitz.
"The Russian Far East is closer to Alaska than to Moscow. Anchorage is closer to the Russian Far East than to Washington. Since we are neighbors, the more we know about each other, the better we can become," RIA Novosti quotes the words Berkovitsa.
"Now there is a lot of controversy on high level between our governments. But as we think about these conflicts, we also need to think about what our world will look like in the future. And the more connections we can have between cities and between people, the more opportunities we can have to prepare a better future," the mayor added.
At the end of July, the 23rd meeting of the Russian-American Pacific Partnership (RAPP) took place in Anchorage. The possibility of concluding agreements on cooperation in the Bering Strait and control over the movement of ships, the expansion of Yakutia Airlines flights to Alaska, and cooperation in the oil and gas field were discussed.
In addition, the Russian Far East and Alaska have the potential to develop tourism between the regions. So says the head of the World Trade Center Alaska, Greg Wolf. "We have direct tours from Anchorage to Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky in the summer. There are opportunities for cultural tourism in both directions. This is an area that has potential," Wolf told RIA Novosti.
In his opinion, the cooperation of American business with the Russian Far East is stalling due to lack of awareness. Potential partners do not know what projects exist, nor do they have information on how to participate directly in them.
Russian potential interests Alaska
This collaboration can indeed be productive, says Vladimir Vasiliev, chief researcher at the Institute for the USA and Canada.
"The socio-economic position of Alaska, due to geography, depends on the system of external relations. This is both Canada and the main part of the United States, where oil from Alaska goes. At the same time, Alaska is part of the East Asian region, and the state of affairs in the region seriously affects this American state. Since Russia is a neighbor of Alaska, there really are prospects for joint projects. This is the development of the shelf, and, most importantly, cooperation in the Arctic," said the expert of the FBA "Economy Today".
It is important to keep in mind that the average per capita standard of living in Alaska is the highest in the United States. The reasons are obvious - natural resources and a small population. For the further development of the state, new projects are needed, respectively, the authorities of Alaska are open to contacts.
According to Vasiliev, the statement of the mayor of Anchorage is real, it indicates the interest of the state authorities, and "you can bet on it." "Alaska, I repeat, is very dependent on external economic relations, and therefore Russian potential exports and imports is in the field of view of the state authorities," the expert said.
Beyond the White House
The establishment of economic ties with Russia may also be caused by political factors, he did not rule out.
"These aspirations may be related to the general mood on the west coast. Today, California, for example, behaves very independently. Today, California and several other states are increasingly distancing themselves from official Washington. It is possible that the administration of Alaska also takes into account these sentiments, assuming that it is worth be on a long leash at the White House, keeping not only a geographical, but also a political distance," Vladimir Vasiliev explained.
In December last year, a petition by a resident of Angarsk addressed to the President of Russia made a splash on the Internet. It said that in the village of Listvyanka near Lake Baikal, Chinese citizens illegally open hotels with restaurants, buying up plots of land (and not paying any taxes), they say, soon "the old Russian village will turn into one of the Chinese provinces." The appeal was signed by 60 thousand people, and this suggests the following: people in the Far East, looking at the huge China located nearby, are really worried - will their friendly neighbor not embrace them in an overly warm embrace?
Fled because of the ruble
Let's start with the fact that in the northern provinces of China, I met many local citizens who previously worked in Primorye and Siberia as cooks, market traders, and waiters. They all left home three years ago. The reason is simple - the weakening of the ruble. “I would be glad to live in Russia further, I wanted to bring my family to you,” says ex-guest worker Van Coon. - But I don’t see the point in this - now the average salaries in China and you are actually equal. In Harbin, I earn the same as in Primorye - 4,500 yuan, which is about 40 thousand rubles. More than half of my Chinese acquaintances who worked in Vladivostok and Blagoveshchensk left Russia.” The Chinese economy is growing and living standards are rising. Surprisingly, even their own illegal immigrants appeared - I myself witnessed a street showdown in Shanghai, when the police drove Pakistanis who had come to work as construction workers. Not so long ago, skyscrapers in China were erected by semi-poor peasants, but now there are no people willing to work hard for $ 200 a month.
Parents who have come to visit their children, students of Wuhan University, sleep on mats laid out on the floor of the gym. The Chinese are picky people. Photo: www.globallookpress.com
“94% of the gigantic population of China lives on only half of its territory! - claims Doctor of History Zong Qinping. - The other half is actually uninhabited. And when you listen to some Russian politicians, you get the impression that the Chinese are standing on top of each other, as if in a crowded bus at rush hour. It is not true. For example, in the province of Heilongjiang, which borders Russia, people do not even pay for heating in winter - in this way the government is trying in vain to curb the outflow of residents leaving south for cities with a warm climate and good wages. The opinion that the Chinese seek to "colonize" Siberia with its eternal frosts and harsh conditions is a myth. For 25 years, the number of Chinese citizens in Russia has remained unchanged (about 250 thousand people), and recently it has begun to decline altogether. Talk about a hundred million Chinese who will soon populate the Far East is ordinary cheap horror stories.
Easier to swallow Africa
Indeed, if you pay attention to migration within the republic, the inhabitants of the PRC are mainly interested in warm regions. But expansion outside of China (except Russia) is hard to deny. Let's say the number of Chinese workers in Tajikistan has reached 100 thousand, they were allowed to transport family members. Also, tens of thousands of Chinese farmers moved to Kyrgyzstan, growing vegetables and fruits. Peasants from China generally migrate illegally to Myanmar, and entire villages of illegal immigrants have sprung up in the north of the country. Anxious? Yes. However, if you think in this vein, China should have swallowed Mongolia long ago - there are only 3 million people and a population density of less than two people per square kilometer. Nevertheless, immigrants from the Middle Kingdom in Mongolia are sparse. Why? The reason is the same - infertile soil and winter frosts below minus 30. On the other hand, 500 thousand Chinese moved to Africa, and the PRC government leased 3 million (!) Hectares of land on this continent. Trade with China accounts for 70% of the exports and imports of many African countries like Ethiopia or Sudan. The Chinese "tie" the countries they need economically in order to gain access to natural resources - be it rice fields, diamond mines or oil fields. “The Chinese Foreign Ministry is issuing recommendations on how an ordinary peasant can move to agricultural work in Africa,” admits Harbin businessman Chen Lao. “It says: this is our granary, a source of food, when the land of the Celestial Empire stops producing rice.” The border regions of Russia in this sense are not yet considered in China, although ... the key word in this case is “yet”?
"Open publications in pre-revolutionary newspapers Russian Empire and you will see the same thing - the headlines “Shadow of the Yellow Monster”, “Yellow Menace” and “Yellow Peril”, is indignant Liang Feng(he asks to call himself Fedya. - Auth.), who studied Russian in 1995-1997. Petersburg, and now the owner of a hotel in Harbin. - A big neighbor with a huge territory is not loved and is always afraid. You are familiar with this - after all, the West has exactly the same attitude towards Russia. No matter how good and nice you try to be for Europe and the United States, you are accused of knowingly of something in a conspiracy to put president Trump, then in plans to capture the EU. No one in Russia cares that over a hundred years of panic around the "yellow monster" the total number of Chinese in your country has not increased. As for the issue of illegal hotels on Baikal, yes, it's a mess. I was in Listvyanka - there are hundreds of private hotels, and at best 10% of them have licenses. Their owners are Russian citizens, not Chinese. I admit that businessmen from the PRC behave ugly on Baikal, but why is cheating with taxes called “turning into a Chinese province”? Let the police in Listvyanka do their job, then the “Chinese problem” will disappear by itself.”
"We have fools"
So what, I wonder, will happen next? Of those Chinese former guest workers with whom I spoke in Heilongjiang province, no one plans to return to Russia in the near future. “Clients stopped coming to my hairdressing salon in Vladivostok, and even the ruble fell,” he shrugged his hands. Wang Zhou(Of course, he introduces himself as Vanya. - Auth.). - I have plans to move to Shenzhen, not far from Hong Kong - there in winter the temperature is plus 20 and they pay good money. Sorry, I'm not going to see you again." I ask “Vanya” how he feels about the opinion: they say, China will swallow Siberia, he waves his hand: “We have a handful of fools, on Internet forums they are discussing - oh, the Far East is historically Chinese land. But Russia is not Myanmar, even the most outspoken idiot would not risk getting involved with a strong country with nuclear weapons.”
A Chinese married couple, a man and a woman with a boy of five years old, walks past me, talking animatedly, carrying a newborn girl in a stroller. Since January 1, 2016, the PRC government's ban on having more than one child in a family has been lifted, and many have already taken advantage of this. Let the myth about the Chinese settlement of the Far East remain more of a scarecrow than a reality, but in the future the situation may change: after all, anything happens. The best option here is to prevent the outflow of people from Primorye and Siberia, to make their life worthy, so that they calmly give birth to children and do not think about leaving. And Chinese businessmen on Baikal must be forced to comply with the laws of the Russian Federation - I hope the local police will take up their direct duties. Then the fantasies about the "yellow threat" will become less.
Stretched along the Pacific coast for 4.5 thousand km. Significant extent of the territory from north to south, features geographical location caused a great diversity and contrast of the nature of the region.
On the territory of the south of the Far East, elements of the flora and fauna of the northern Siberian and southern subtropical regions are mixed. This feature was also noticed, who wrote: “Here, spruce is often entwined with wild grapes, birch grows next to a velvet tree, and in the snow you can find traces of both a tiger and a sable.”
Despite its considerable length, there are only two natural zones on the territory of the district. From the north to 60 N dominates, and the rest is located in. A characteristic feature of the latitudinal is the shift to the south of the borders (as in the Urals).
The highest peaks are occupied by tundra-like mountain tundra. Lichen and shrub tundra stand out here.
Even the highest peaks are located below the snow line, so glaciers are unusual for the mountains of the southern part of the Far East.
In general, a similar character of altitudinal zonation is characteristic. However, in contrast to Primorye, the boundaries of natural zones are lowered, and, in addition, a belt of light (park) forests of stone birch appears, located between coniferous forests and thickets of elfin cedar.
Coniferous-broad-leaved forests are no longer found, due to the proximity of the cold. The foothills of the mountains are occupied by dark coniferous spruce-fir forests, covering most of the slopes, and rising to a height of 600-800 m. Above, forests of stone birch, giving way to mountain tundra in the highest areas.
A peculiar character of altitudinal zonation is characteristic. A specific feature is the low position - 1500-1600 m - of the snow line. This is facilitated by the constant penetration of moist air and a large number of winter precipitation. However, there are not very many on the peninsula, since volcanic activity prevents their formation.
The most typical for Kamchatka are park stone birches. In the clearings of sparse forests in moist places, tall grasses of plants of the Umbelliferae and Compositae families are developed. In places with excessive moisture, there are especially a lot of silkworm and Komarov's horsetail. Giant umbrella - sweet grass - amazes with height and speed of growth: in 10-12 days the plant reaches 2-3 meters in height.
Stone birch forests in combination with occupy the central parts of the slopes. Above them they are replaced by thickets of elfin cedar, and below by spruce and larch forests.
The simplest spectrum of altitudinal zonality is characteristic of the Koryak highland, located in the tundra zone. The lower parts of the slopes up to a height of 200-250 m are occupied by thickets of dwarf pine, higher are mountain tundra. The tops of the ridges are occupied by snow and glaciers. The height of the snow line is 1200-1700 m.