Intensification of Trade Interactions between the Regions of China and Russia

The article identifies the Chinese provinces that are the points of growth of the Russian imports. Their main supply channels to the Chinese market are concentrated in the eastern coastal regions of China, being traditionally more developed. Russian imports are growing faster through the Chinese pilot free trade zones. However, geographical and product diversification is still slow. The supply structure of Russian products is still dominated by raw materials, while imports of high value added products are growing rapidly in some regions of China. The rapid growth of Russian imports is observed in some regions of the Yangtze River Economic Belt, which creates additional opportunities for the intensification of trade interactions with the Russian regions within the project «Volga-Yangtze». The connection of the export sectors of the economy of the Volga Federal District with the import of China is considered in more detail in the article as a potential for further intensification of trade interactions. The regions with a high level of economic diversification (the Nizhny Novgorod and the Samara regions) have the greatest opportunities for developing trade interactions. Current conditions indicate that prospects for the further intensification of Russian exports to China are determined by the expansion of production (in the regions with a high share of exports to China and other friendly countries), development of transport and logistics system, adaptation of Russian products to the needs of the Chinese consumer. One way to increase exports of Rus-sian high-value-added products is to reduce barriers to the supply of such products in China’s free-trade zones. In a limited international market, Russian regions may have to compete more for Chinese consumers as the domestic market becomes saturated.

China, Russia, economic integration, trade interaction, export intensification, “Volga – Yangtze”