The ongoing sanction war with the West is forcing Russia to double her efforts to prove that her much-spoken “pivot to Asia” policy is no more just a slogan or subject for political pundit’s endless debate but a blueprint and roadmap for the captains of the businesses of the Asia-Pacific region.
As a follow-up to St. Petersburg international economic forum, held this June, another gathering of high-ranking government officials, leading businessmen and investors was staged thousands of miles away from Russia’s Northern capital – this time on the Russian Pacific coast, in the city-port of Vladivostok.
The city has won the reputation as Russia’s gateway to Asia-Pacific region and is emerging as a fast growing free trade zone to attract investors from China, South Korea, Japan and ASEAN counties. Vladivostok hosted The First Eastern Economic Forum which was addressed by Russia’s President Vladimir Putin on his way back home after the visit to China. One of the hot-potato issues at the forum was the concept of the so-called Advanced Development Territories (ADT) in the Russian Far East. While still seen as a limbo, ADTs are expected to create low-risk investment environment and preferential treatment for Asian businesses guaranteed by the Russian government.
Gleb Ivashentsov, Member of the Russian Council for International Relations and Russia’s Former Ambassador to South Korea and Myanmar (studio guest); Vladimir Sotnikov, Director of the East-West Strategic Studies Center (studio guest); Brian Yeung, an independent contributor to Chinese and English media in Hong Kong and Mainland China and Ekaterina Koldunova, senior expert at the ASEAN Center, MGIMO University joined us to discuss the issue.
