to sino- russian

26 CHAPTER 1. PROGRAMS ON SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT AND TRANSBOUNDARY COOPERATION IN THE BORDER AREAS
1.1. State programmes for the
prospective development of
“peripheral” regions of Russia
and China: imperatives of
industrial modernization
N. Lomakina
At present, the Far Eastern Federal District of Russia is
going through active processes of creating a new
regional ‘industrial and economic space’. These
processes are largely being determined by:
1) Long- and medium-term governmental development
strategies and programmes for the Far Eastern Federal
District and individual regions comprising it, namely
the Federal Targeted Programme “Economic and
Social Development of the Russian Far East and Transbaikal
region for the Period until 2013”, Strategy of the
Socio-Economic Development of the Russian Far East
and the Baikal Region for the Period until 2025, and
other development strategies of individual Russian
regions comprising the Far Eastern Federal District
2) Investment projects and by interests of major international
and Russian companies.
Development goals with quite similar purposes are being
pursued by China in its North-eastern provinces.
In 2002, the Chinese government adopted a programme
for the development of old industrial bases in Northeastern
China (“NEC”);
Federal Targeted Programme “Economic
and Social Development of the Russian
Far East and Transbaikal for the Period
till 2013”
In 2003, the decision to facilitate the development of the
NEC provinces was made;
In early 2004, the Office of the Leading Group for the
Revitalisation of North-eastern China and Other Old
Industrial Bases of the State Council (the “Office”)
was established. The objectives of the Office include: the
development and implementation of a strategy for revitalising
old industrial bases; coordinating activities for
the revival of specific areas; the preparation of development
strategies for the key economic sectors; the
development of proposals aimed at attracting investment,
promoting transparency, protecting the environment.
1 At present, these objectives are addressed within
the framework of a government programme — The Plan
of Revitalising Northeast China2 .
A new stage in Russian-Chinese regional development
planning was marked by the adoption in October 2009
of a joint document aimed at “coordinated” development
of large cross-border regions of Russia and China
by way of the “Programme of Cooperation between the
Regions of Far East and East Siberia of Russia and
North-eastern China for the period 2009 2018”. In our
opinion, before considering opportunities and risks of
the proposed “coordinated development”, it would help
to understand the objectives, priorities, and development
approaches defined by internal development programmes
for the border regions of the two countries (see
Annexes, Administrative Map of Border Regions of
Russia and China).
Despite all the differences in the current development
levels of the Russian Far East and Northeast China,
challenges faced by the regions and their development
pace, there are also certain similarities between them.
Table 1. Comparison of government development programmes for the Russian Far East and Northeast China
Level National-level programmes
Scope Area: 6.9 million km 2
Population: 8.7 million
Administrative units: 12 Russian regions
Period 1996—2013
(the current version 2007—2013)
Role of the
government
Plan of Revitalising Northeast China
Area: 1.45 million km 2
Population: 120 million
Administrative units: three NEC provinces (Liaoning, Jilin, and
Heilongjiang Province) and five areas in the eastern part of
Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region
2006—2010
(with regard to certain key issues — till 2020)
Overcoming infrastructure constraints Coordinating the development of key interregional infrastructure
(6 key transportation corridors and 7 comprehensive transportation
systems for coal, oil, ore, grain, containers, heavy
equipment and passengers)
1 Izotov D. A., Kucherjavenko V. E. Jekonomicheskoe razvitie Kitaja na sovremennom jetape (analiticheskij obzor). Habarovsk: RIOTIP 2007, p. 22.
2 «Plan of Revitalizing Northeast China» by National Development and Reform Commission, Office of the Leading Group for Revitalizing Northeastern China
and Other Old Industrial Bases of the State Council, People's Republic of China (“Plan of Revitalizing Northeastern China”),
see http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2007-12/19/content_7279455.htm