China and the development of the Russian Far Eastern districts: expectations and reality

In recent years, Russian- Chinese relations have reached a new level of integration of these two nations. Being influenced by a Russian “new Asian policy”, the Far East policy of the federal center has significantly transformed. It was assumed that Russian-Chinese interaction could act as a catalyst for the regional development of the subjects of the Far Eastern Federal District (FEFD). The paper examines the features of Russian-Chinese cooperation in the Far Eastern regions of the Russian Federation. The author analyzes the achieved level of interaction between the Russian Federation and China in the Russian Far East; the limiting factors of such cooperation are highlighted. It is noted that the tough pragmatism inherent in China’s foreign policy lately presupposes a focus on the traditional areas of Russian-Chinese cooperation in the Far Eastern Federal District. The limited possibilities of the achieved volume of Russian-Chinese interaction for stimulating the accelerated development of the Far Eastern regions of Russia are especially emphasized.