Anna Bezdudnaya Presents Arctic Agenda at Russian-Chinese Forum
Anna Bezdudnaya, Editor-in-Chief of the FBA EAC Herald, Doctor of Economics, and Professor, participated in the Russian-Chinese Business Forum titled "St. Petersburg - China's Regions: From Dialogue to Real Projects."
The forum, held on March 13 at the Gorny Multifunctional Complex on Vasilievsky Island, was organized by the City's Foreign Affairs Committee and the Consulate General of the People's Republic of China. It coincided with the 12th citywide festival "Chinese New Year - the Joyful Festival of Spring." This year, Sichuan Province served as the Chinese partner. The primary objective was to explore new formats for cooperation between St. Petersburg and Chinese provinces in the areas of trade, investment, science, education, and tourism.
The forum attracted representatives from federal and regional authorities of the Russian Federation and the People's Republic of China, as well as international organizations supporting foreign trade, the St. Petersburg and Chinese business communities, and specialists from the scientific, technical, and educational sectors. The Chinese delegation included Luo Zhanhui, Consul General, Liu Wei from Tsinghua University's Institute of Russia, and Lei Xuejie from the Sichuan Provincial Council for International Trade Promotion.
Anna Bezdudnaya, also serving as Executive Director of the Arctic Ecological and Economic Research Center, participated in the forum as a member of the Expert Council for the Development of the Russian Federation's Arctic Zone.
A key discussion at the forum was the roundtable "Cooperation in the High Latitudes: Prospects for St. Petersburg and China's Cooperation in the Arctic." Experts addressed a range of strategic issues beyond immediate commercial benefits. Key topics included increasing energy production and liquefied natural gas (LNG) supply to the Chinese market, as well as the potential for localizing the production of drilling equipment in Russia under challenging Arctic conditions.
Special consideration was given to the development of transport corridors, with discussions focusing on the prospects for constructing railway and road routes to connect ports along the Northern Sea Route with China. This initiative aims to ensure sustainable logistics connections and support global trade. Additionally, joint scientific projects on climate studies, geological structure of polar regions, and preservation of natural ecosystems were highlighted as crucial to the discussion.