Cooperation of Russia and China in Digital Economy: Opportunities and Limitations

Opportunities for cooperation between Russia and China in the digital economy are proposed: high levels of digital economy development in the two countries; rapprochement of the Russian and Chinese economies in the face of barriers from Western countries; the need to re-equip Russian mobile networks based on Chinese components; promising participation of Russia in the framework of China’s Belt and Road Initiative; implementation of joint digital technologies in some sectors of the economy. The limitations of Russian-Chinese cooperation in the digital economy in the current conditions were identified: risks of secondary sanctions and security; lack of an integration agreement; uneven development of the digital economy in neighboring regions of the two countries; insignificant presence of Russia in global production chains and Russia’s small market. It is shown that by reducing barriers, the two countries can expand economic interactions, and cooperation in the digital economy can help this.

Russia, China, digital economy, digitalization, information and communication technologies, artificial intelligence, trade interactions, goods, services