The path to "integration of integrations"

Immediately after that, in an interview with a Chinese journalist, the Russian president spoke of a "multipolar concept of peace," which is based on "growing the potential of many countries, including Russia and China." The interview took place before Putin's visit to China to participate in the third international forum "Belt and Road," October 17-18. Details in the material of the correspondent of The Moscow Post.

The initiative is aimed at developing transport, trade and investment relations between China and the countries of Central Asia, Europe and Africa by modernizing and building transport and logistics infrastructure, forming economic corridors and projects that contribute to development.

Mega-integrator of Greater Eurasia

Everything is interconnected: two calls, two fronts. The first front is power. There, Russia is confronting a challenge from the combined potential of the United States and allies. Moscow once again had a mission to defend security interests in a rapidly changing world of conflicts and military threats emanating from the West.

The second is conditional, civilizational, economic. "A multipolar world is created on its own,... not least with the growth of the potential of the People's Republic of China, "the Russian leader said.

Speaking at the first international forum "One Belt - One Road" (Belt and Road) in May 2017, Chinese President Xi Jinping announced a qualitatively new point in the development of China. Then a "roadmap" was prepared, according to which by the middle of the century the country should acquire the status of a world trading power.

Although, in 2017, China has already risen to the same level with the United States in terms of foreign trade and GDP in terms of purchasing power parity. In terms of economic growth, the country already surpassed America, as well as in the resources of the working-age population.

Today, China objectively plays the role of a mega-integrator of trade and economic relations in the mega-region of Greater Eurasia. The country has become the economic core of the Northeast Asia region, displacing the United States as the main trading partner of Japan and South Korea. The total volume of trade with the two neighbors of the PRC exceeds the volume of their trade with the United States.

China is also ahead of Japan, the European Union and the United States as the main trade partner of ASEAN countries, coming close in terms of the share in imports of ten Association countries to the indicator of their intra-regional imports.

Beijing also took the place of the largest investor and leading trading partner of Russia and Central Asian countries.

The deepening of trade and investment cooperation within the framework of the Belt and Road initiative is linked to the plans of the PRC to optimize regional development in China itself. They intend to create strongholds for the development of internal western regions, give their economy "external orientation."

"Security Belt," one for two...

The "collective West" sees in Russia and China the main obstacles to maintaining its hegemony in world affairs, including power confrontation. In the US Congress, there are even calls to prepare for war with both the Russian Federation and the PRC. Although Moscow and Beijing do not think about a military-political alliance, as in the West.

True, you can't argue with the facts. In Western capitals, they are forced to recognize Russia's superiority in the field of military technology. It is also reluctantly acknowledged that China has become a powerful economic counterweight to America.

How can people in their right mind think of it? the Russian leader asked. "But if she comes, it only makes us alarmed." Putin said in response to a similar recommendation from a US Congress commission.

… and path one

In the West, they must be wary of what news the upcoming visit of Vladimir Putin to China will bring. The Russian President said that the concept of international partnership proposed by China in the Belt and Road initiative is close to Russia, fully coincides with Moscow's ideas for the development of the EAEU and plans for the construction of Greater Eurasia.

In general, according to Putin, this concept has become very timely and is developing well, uniting the capabilities of many countries and their development goals. "This is a good, correct and technologically built initiative," he said.

The President of the Russian Federation drew attention to the fact that some perceive it as an attempt by the PRC to "crush someone for themselves." No, "we see just a desire for cooperation," Putin stressed in an interview with the Chinese Media Corporation.

Back in 2013, Chinese President Xi Jinping spoke about the formation of a global world when he came up with this initiative. The press office of the State Council of the People's Republic of China published a white book for the third forum entitled "Joint construction of the Belt and Road: an important practice of forming a community of the common destiny of mankind." It noted that the Belt and Road initiative has turned from a vision into a practice, has become a reality and a public good, a platform for cooperation.

Conjugation of interests

In the words of the Global Times, the political and civilizational overtones of the initiative, it is that the era of great geographical discoveries and colonial expansion of the West is coming to an end not only politically, but also economically. Beijing offers a "different type of globalization," not the one imposed on the world by Europe's colonial powers.

This echoes what Vladimir Putin said, speaking recently at the plenary session of the anniversary, XX meeting of the Valdai International Discussion Club: "The world is too complex and diverse to be subordinated to one scheme, even if it has the power behind it, the great power of the West accumulated by centuries of colonial policy," largely achieved thanks to the centuries-old robbery of the colonies.

Putin, being in Beijing in 2017 as the main foreign guest, noted: "I believe that the addition of the potentials of such integration formats as the EAEU, Belt and Road, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, the Association of Southeast Asian States can become the basis for the formation of a large Eurasian partnership. It is with this approach that we consider it possible to consider the agenda proposed today by the People's Republic of China. "

Then, six years ago, the volume of bilateral trade between the Russian Federation and the PRC amounted to $84 billion. At the end of this year, this figure can be exceeded 2.5 times. Back in 2012, Vladimir Putin said that the growth of the Chinese economy is "not a threat, but a challenge that carries the colossal potential of business cooperation, a chance to catch the" Chinese wind "in the" sails "of our economy."

The role of Russia

Initially, as part of the Chinese initiative, four transport and economic corridors were planned - all in the regions west and southwest of Central Asia. The official document "Prospects and Practical Actions for the Joint Creation of the Economic Belt of the Silk Road and the Maritime Silk Road of the 21st Century" noted the "huge potential for economic development" of states on the way from China to Europe.

In 2016-2018, the scope of the initiative was expanded and shifted to the North through projects related to Russia. Beijing was interested in the prospects for the development of the Northern Sea Route (NSR), the possibilities of transport corridors through Mongolia and Russia, through Kazakhstan and Russia.

The State Council then published a "White Book" on Arctic policy. In the Chinese media, the document was called the "Polar Silk Road." The interests of the PRC in the Arctic include the transport capabilities of the NSR, the oil and gas resources of the Arctic shelf, environmental protection issues and the prospects for developing "rules of conduct" in the region.

Deepening international cooperation in the oil and gas field is recognized as an important part of promoting the Belt and Road concept. In this area, the Russian Federation and the PRC combine LNG projects in the Arctic, the Eastern Siberia-Pacific Ocean oil pipeline, gas pipelines, including Power of Siberia, Rosatom's participation in the construction of nuclear power plants in China, and technological cooperation.

The federal project of the Europe-Western China highway is being implemented, which includes the Moscow-Nizhny Novgorod-Kazan-Yekaterinburg high-speed highway.

China has long used the capabilities of the Trans-Siberian Container Bridge, which begins at the Vostochny port.

The northeastern provinces of the PRC are interested in the ports of Primorsky Krai, including Vladivostok, Zarubino, Posiet and Slavyanka, serving Chinese cargo flows (the Primorye-2 transport corridor). Road and railway bridges over the Amur were built.

The zone of the Belt and Road initiative can be expanded by modernizing the DPRK railway track and connecting the peninsula's railways with their access to the Trans-Siberian Railway. Russia is interested in access to the ports of the DPRK.

"There will be a lot of guests visiting President Xi [Jinping]. Although President Putin will be the main guest, "Dmitry Peskov said in an interview with the Moscow. Kremlin. Putin "on the TV channel" Russia-1. "

The head of the Russian state was the main guest at the second Belt and Road Forum, held in Beijing on April 25-27, 2019. Then Putin said that "we are united by truly strategic, long-term interests," and a large Eurasian partnership involves the "integration of integrations."

Photo: Izvestia