The Great Game Changer: Belt and Road Intiative (BRI; OBOR)

[TaiShang]

China Deepens Ties with Eurasian Countries
2016-06-24 16:46:04
CRIENGLISH.com Web Editor: Liang Tao

By Xu Qinduo

It takes eight hours from Serbia's capital of Belgrade to Budapest, the capital of Hungary by train which runs at a speed of some 40 kilometers per hour. In China, the travel time of a similar distance by high speed rail is two hours, such as from Shanghai to the neighboring city of Ningbo. That's part of the reason why Chinese President Xi Jinping paid a visit to Serbia as China is helping modernizing the rail system that will reduce the travel time between Belgrade and Budapest to some three hours.

President Xi's visit to Serbia and Poland in Europe and Uzbekistan since last week can be viewed in the backdrop of the famous One Belt One Road initiative. The OBOR aims to build stronger land connectivity through Central Asia to Europe as well as by sea route through Southeast Asia, Africa to Europe.

The latest trip can also be seen as an effort by Beijing to strengthen its relationship with Europe by investing more in Central and East European Countries or CEEC. Under the "16+1" framework, the 16 CEEC countries and China have met and worked on bilateral ties for years.

If you take a look at the global community, China is probably the only country that possesses the capability to commit huge investment in infrastructure construction and trade. And that's what the Chinese President's trip was all about.

For Serbia, Xi Jinping's arrival was regarded as the beginning of Spring after a long Winter. Everything will blossom after the visit, said Serbian officials. It's the first time that a Chinese state leader has visited the Central European country in 30 years. For Belgrade, the visit is historic not only in being the first, but also the positive changes expected to be brought about to the country of seven million.

In anticipating the Mr. Xi's arrival, Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic told China Radio International that, "Serbia will sign 24 cooperative agreements with China, such a number has never been the case during any world leaders' visit to our country."

He said China's investment to Serbia is of great importance, and could solve a variety of problems of Serbian companies from the past, which the country could hardly deal with without the Chinese side.

What sounding a bit funny is that, according to Mr. Nikolic, "many countries already envy Serbia" and their presidents have asked whether they could visit during Xi's stay here, so they could arrange a meeting.

And indeed, China is offering a hand in resolving Serbian companies' problems. Beijing invested 46-million-euro to purchase Serbia's century-old steel plant Smederevo and is to transform the plant into one of the most competitive firms in Europe with its latest technologies.

The deal may be just one of numerous investments by Chinese companies around the world. But it's critical to a small country like Serbia. The plant employs 5,050 people and all the jobs are kept. Compared to a loss of 113 million US dollars last year, the plant will receive some 300 million dollars investment from the Chinese side.

As for the nation, a Reuters report says Belgrade believes the deal is expected to "push Serbia's growth to up to 4 percent in 2017, more than double the official forecast for this year."

During his stop in Poland, the largest trading partner of China in the region, President Xi witnessed a visual and emotional moment when an express freight train steadily rolled into a cargo terminal in Warsaw. The China Railway Express arrived from Chengdu, capital of Sichuan Province after a 13-day journey. The new train service will facilitate Poland to export more agricultural products to a huge Chinese market, like milk, meat and apples.

Polish officials say some 20 freight trains run between China and Poland each week carrying electronics, food stuffs, alcohol and car parts. The journey takes less than two weeks, which creates a huge advantage compared to the 40-day transit by sea.

Poland sits in the center of Europe and nearly all such trans-continental trains from China go through Poland. Taking advantage of its strategic position, Poland says it was discussing "massive investments" with Beijing.

In Uzbekistan the last leg of President Xi's Eurasian trip, he witnessed the opening of a 19.2-kilometer railway tunnel that brings Uzbekistan's populous Ferghana Valley with the rest of the country. The tunnel, the biggest Chinese-led project in the region, is also said to be the largest of its kind in Central Asia.

President Xi addressed Uzbekistan’s parliament, the first ever given by a foreign leader. During his speech, rounds of enthusiastic, standing applause were registered. Xi told them that “this unique tunnel will become an important link in the international, China-Central Asia-Europe railway transit corridor.”

His Uzbek counterpart Islam Karimov expressed warm gratitude to China that “I want to tell you that we have a proverb: ‘You know a friend in times of hardship.’ China is indeed such a friend that has lent a hand at a difficult time.” Uzbek economy is going through a challenging time as, Russia, one of its major trade partners, suffers from biting sanctions from Western countries.

The Uzbek trip also brought Xi to the gathering of leaders of Shanghai Cooperation Organization countries. One key agenda of the summit is to officially grant membership to both India and Pakistan, a welcoming move to cement stability and peace in this region.

A set of pipelines, roads and railways have already been built up to link China to countries in Central Asia and Europe. For example, Yiwu is connected to Madrid, Zhengzhou to Hamburg, Lianyungang to Rotterdam, Chongqing to Duisburg.

Xi's latest trip presents as a solid step of more connectivity along route of Silk Road. Every country that falls into the grand program is expected to benefit from the Chinese initiative.

 

[ahojunk]

What sounding a bit funny is that, according to Mr. Nikolic, "many countries already envy Serbia" and their presidents have asked whether they could visit during Xi's stay here, so they could arrange a meeting.

.
It's amazing what can happen when you have a big wallet. Everyone wants to be your friend, lol.

That's reality. You can talk all the bullsh*t but at the end of the day, it's money that matters.

So guys, do more, work harder and talk less.

Let the others do the talking but you just show them the results.

And there were plenty over the last few days;
- fastest supercomputer (Sunway-TaihuLight) and second fastest supercomputer (Tianhe-2),
- CZ-7 rocket,
- ARJ21 maiden flight,
- heavy-ion medical accelerator ready for clinical trials,
- new highways, expressways, tunnels, HSR lines, metro lines,
- Gaofen-4,
- Midea Offers to Buy Kuka AG,
- AIIB has made its first loans,
- first embedded neural network processing unit,
- 4G users exceed 500 million,
- one of the biggest heavy-lift ship,
- Aperture Spherical Telescope "FAST" almost complete,
- World's biggest 70-ton vibration-simulation table,
- scientists find the existence of the Majorana fermion particle,
- etc.

 

[TaiShang]

.
It's amazing what can happen when you have a big wallet. Everyone wants to be your friend, lol.

That's reality. You can talk all the bullsh*t but at the end of the day, it's money that matters.

So guys, do more, work harder and talk less.

Let's the others do the talking but you just show the results.

And there were plenty over the last few days;
- fastest supercomputer (Sunway-TaihuLight) and second fastest supercomputer (Tianhe-2),
- CZ-7 rocket,
- ARJ21 maiden flight,
- heavy-ion medical accelerator ready for clinical trials,
- new highways, expressways, tunnels, HSR lines, metro lines,
- Gaofen-4,
- Midea Offers to Buy Kuka AG,
- AIIB has made its first loans,
- first embedded neural network processing unit,
- 4G users exceed 500 million,
- one of the biggest heavy-lift ship,
- Aperture Spherical Telescope "FAST" almost complete,
- World's biggest 70-ton vibration-simulation table,
- scientists find the existence of the Majorana fermion particle,
- etc.

Very poetically and factually put, my friend.

Talking won't fill the sails, neither will it fill the pockets. Money (economy) is what moves history. As the quote you put there shows, when you walk around with pockets full of money, people will love your soft power and sign up to benefit from your hard power.

China does not need to waste time by profuse talking. Doing and showing results (like island development regardless off what some others keep talking and objecting verbally) is the best form of expression.

 

[ahojunk]

China’s one belt, one road initiative set to transform economy by connecting with trading partners along ancient Silk Road

Central government uses land and sea routes to connect with 65 countries in Asia, Africa and Europe, targeting five areas – infrastructure, trade, policy, finance and people

PUBLISHED : Tuesday, 21 June, 2016, 2:46pm
UPDATED : Friday, 24 June, 2016, 3:36pm
Lee Hill-choi

In more than 30 years, China has become an economic superpower, with its influence spanning the globe.

The country is now at a crossroads as it finds its economy under some strain.

The central government wants to double 2010 income levels by 2020, as the nation is making a major push to transform its economy from a largely export-driven one to services and domestic consumption, from labour and energy-intensive manufacturing towards innovative, hi-tech and higher value-added production, and from quantity to quality and ecological sustainability.

Three years ago, President Xi Jinping announced the one belt, one road initiative, a key policy to connect trading partners along the ancient Silk Road.

The central government wants to connect the nation with 65 countries in Asia, Africa and Europe through land and sea routes. The strategy has laid out five areas – infrastructure, trade, policy, finance and people – of cooperation with one belt, one road, or Maritime Silk Road, countries and regions.

The Maritime Silk Road connects China’s east coast to ports, including Colombo in Sri Lanka, Gwadar in Pakistan, across the Indian Ocean, through the Red Sea to Greece’s Piraeus, ending in Venice. The overland economic belt connects Venice to Duisburg in Germany, across to Moscow, through Central Asia and western China to end in Xian, the ancient capital where the historic Silk Road began.

A recent business report suggested that the initiative will create six transnational China-centric economic corridors: a new Eurasian land bridge of freight trains connecting the port of Lianyungang in Jiangsu province to Rotterdam; a Mongolia-Russia corridor; a Central Asia-West Asia corridor; an Indochina peninsula corridor; a Pakistan corridor; and a Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar corridor.

The initiative is expected to have a major impact in China’s domestic front and internationally. One of the key domestic objectives is to accelerate the development of China’s west and central provinces. The plan divides the nation into five regions with infrastructure plans to connect with neighbouring countries and increase connectivity.

The strategy is huge in scale, with an equally massive price tag and three financial institutions are at the forefront of investing in the infrastructure projects.

The initiative is supported by China’s Silk Road infrastructure fund of US$40 billion, the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), with registered capital of US$100 billion; and the New Development Bank of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS countries) with an initial capital of US$50 billion, which is set to increase to US$100 billion.

Established in 2014, the China-led Silk Road Infra-structure Fund is mostly backed by China’s massive foreign exchange reserves, which stands at US$3.20 trillion.

The release of the “Vision and Actions of the Silk Road Economic Belt and 21st Century Maritime Silk Road” by China’s National Development and Reform Commission in March last year reinforces the initiative as a programme of cooperation and inclusiveness that abides with “market rules and international norms”.

The initiative focuses mostly on infrastructure and is expected to open up opportunities across industries. Professional services firms are preparing to meet investor demands, and are anticipating potential risks related to infrastructure projects associated with such a large-scale, cross-border initiative. Risk management and due diligence practices will be at the forefront of any business dealings coming from the ambitious strategy.

According to Bert Hofman, country director for China, Mongolia and Korea, East Asia and Pacific region at the World Bank, the large-scale nature of the one belt, one road initiative “could stimulate Asian and global economic growth”. He identifies the potential benefits for belt and road countries plagued by “underdeveloped infrastructure, low investment rates and low per-capita incomes”.

It isn’t just Asia looking to profit from the initiative. Britain is also keen to cooperate with China. “To win business ... we believe it is critical for UK companies to get involved in this initiative as soon as possible, in order to gain access to a wider tranche of the Chinese market and to third markets along the routes,” said the China-Britain Business Council. Inside China, the council identified several opportunities within provinces and industries. Alongside infrastructure, financial and professional services, agriculture and environment are key areas for growth and investment.

And will Hong Kong benefit from the initiative? Last month, in a South China Morning Post report, China’s third highest-ranking official outlined how Hong Kong could seize the opportunities of the initiative.

Observers said incorporating the city into the plan was to be expected, given much of the groundwork was laid by a scheme to unite the economies of the pan-Pearl River Delta region.

Hong Kong was also a natural stepping-off point for Beijing as it sought to project its power throughout Southeast Asia, the observers said.

Zhang Dejiang, chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, said Hong Kong was “a natural partner, [and] can join forces with the pilot free-trade zone in Guangdong and the Qianhai Shenzhen-Hong Kong cooperation zone and Fujian province, a core area for the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road”.

 

[TaiShang]

While European Union is Collapsing, Eurasia is Integrating

Originally appeared at RIA Novosti. Translated by Julia Rakhmetova

The author is a columnist for the international news agency Rossiya Segodnya. Under the pen name Master Cheng, he also writes best-selling political thrillers set in South East Asia.

Dmitry Kosyrev

The idea in the title is too evident. While the Brits were voting to leave the EU, India and Pakistan were signing key SCO documents at a summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in Tashkent. These two things happened – collapse there and integration here – on the same day. Below are details, and they are very interesting, as always.

It’s not a stadium here

First, let’s note that there were no official ceremonies in relation to the integration of India and Pakistan, two new flags were not added to the six ones of the current SCO members.

The decision on their entering was accepted a year ago at a summit in Ufa, and now the following happened: the leaders of the six SCO countries accepted memorandums on the commitments of their Indian and Pakistani colleagues to the conventions mandatory for each of its members.

This is what President Vladimir Putin said on the subject at the concluding press conference: “You saw that we completed the affiliation of two large countries – India and Pakistan; there are only formalities left, and we can say that they are going to become full members of this organization by next year. After they enter, the organization will gain a new sound and a new weigh and we can say that the summit was a complete success.” The he answered questions on Great Britain and the EU.

As we can see, we’re not in a stadium playing the game Eurasia-EU 1:0. The SCO exists not to confront the others, even in a propagandist way.

Besides, the affiliation of the Indians and Pakistanis to all the SCO mechanisms is a matter of paperwork, but a long one; they still need to sign about 30 documents. It’s a long bureaucratic procedure that sometimes requires coordination with parliaments or other authorities.

The summit was a formality. The documents, which were coordinated beforehand, were signed: the Tashkent declaration , the plan of action of the organization for 2016-2020 to achieve the Development Strategy by 2025, the report of the Council of Regional Anti-Terror Structures on its activity in 2015 and so on.

The SCO changed the political geography of the globe on the first and other key stages of its operation (like the summit in Ufa), and today it is creating a cooperation infrastructure with many councils – often where it didn’t exist before. The summits only sum up the experience of what happened during the year, in a clerical way. This was especially evident in Tashkent.

Don’t repeat mistakes of others

The SCO is neither an alliance, nor a union, because all its members think that the time of unions has passed (as things happening to the EU and NATO demonstrate). Note the idea that oversaw the preparation of documents for the current summit, on reinforcement of the military component of the organization without changes in its status. This can lead to possible problems on the part of Afghanistan, and more precisely extremist, jihadist forces in the region.

But if it is not a union, what is it then? Apparently, it’s an attempt to build a modern model of relations between countries that are united by region, but divided by many specificities, which they countries want to save, without being neutralized by rules and standards.

Is this a challenge to the standardized West? No, it’s just an attempt not to repeat its mistakes, which are very evident on Great Britain’s ‘independence day’. It’s an attempt, but we cannot know whether it will be successful.

This is about ‘open regionalism’ – i.e. no one prevents the countries from becoming a member of other unions. This is a non-western approach, and sometimes it holds the SCO as an organization back, but it can’t be otherwise.

It is specified in the document signed by India and Pakistan, that SCO members shouldn’t work against each other’s interests, though relations between many of them may be tense. The other thing is that the SCO serves as a venue where they may try to agree.

Let’s look at the list of the 18 countries who are members of the SCO. There will be 8 full members next year’s summit in Astana: China and India, Russia and Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kirghizia. The others, which have observer or partner status, – are their neighbors, may be considering the integration process. It’s hard to imagine more different countries.

The European countries were the also different at the beginning of integration. They kept track of the neutralization of specificities and reduction of sovereignty. As we can see now, they were mistaken. But this doesn’t mean that our integration is better – it has hardly started. According to some statements made by the president of Uzbekistan, Islam Karimov, the host of the meeting, this time it was harder to prepare for the summit.

Right now, “the SCO’s formula” looks simple: prevent military and political shocks in Central Asia, build an infrastructure (roads, logistics centers, information bases and legal system), that would really unify all the countries of one region.

Note that culture and education, within the SCO, are part of that infrastructure,an overarching humanitarian space that is being created in Eurasia. The process is not only huge – it’s eternal.

And let’s not forget that the SCO does not encompass the whole range of relations, for example, between Russia and India, or China and Russia, but only that which relates to the newly-constructed region in Central Asia. It is a regional project. You could say, as Chinese do, that an ancient model of the world, which had the Great Silk Route as its center center, is being recreated, from China to Europe, but we all know that this is about shaping the future, not restoring the past.



Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Tashkent

 

[greenwood]

A European diplomat ever said: Europe has two type of nations. One type is small nations, another one is they have not realized they are small nations.

 

[Zulkarneyn]

Interesting developments take place. Russia +Turkey is mending ties. RUssian and Turkish higher ups are in Pakistan right now.

 

[somebozo]

EU is far from disintegrating yet...but with the departure of Britain it has been significantly weakened..Britain like France and Germany does not have its economic zone the the Eastern europe rather all British economic dependencies are overseas in Asia and Africa..

Other block which negatively affected by EU is southern European countries mainly Spain and Greece..their cost of export increased due to EURO and they are unable to compete in the mainland European market as well as other export markets..which led to their debt accumulation and subsequent default..

 

[qwerrty]

Its more of Russia keen for the joint venture rather China. The announcement of the joint venture is more of a symbolic political gesture than real meaningful project. I bet there will be a similar project going on and 100% Chinese.

here's another one that we recently have heard a lot about on news and most probably will not go anywhere just like the jv widebody jet




----
Sino-Russian cooperation in space-is it possible ?
Posted on: June 27, 2016 at 10:01 pm


Few decades ago it would be considered as a joke but in the present conditions it could be considered as reality. According to Russian sources, cooperation with China in joint development of new super heavy launch vehicles which could be utilized during Moon mISSion is more than possible.

Both countries are developing own Moon exploration programs with ambitious goals. Russia is targeting for manned Moon missions and establishing lunar outpost in 2030s. China is planning further robotic exploration and creating large space station which will serve in future for Moon and deep space exploration. Of course China is not denying that they are targeting into manned mission to the Moon but still there is no timetable for this program. In spite of Moon landing, both countries are planning to establish own space stations and are posSESsing or developing heavy Rockets able to deliver to orbit large payloads: Angara in heavy version (and Soyuz-FG at the moment) and Long March 5. Fact that cooperation of these two countries could bring positive results for both partners seems to be obvious, but until now, various propositions were rather given by Russia than China. Fact, that such cooperation was started, was unveiled by Anatoly Perminov, previous chief of the Roscosmos in 2006 along with declaration that joint Russian-Chinese Space Sub-Commission was working on appropriate agreement. Since 2006, Russia invited China many times for different kinds of cooperation in space, but without positive results. One of the key joint programs was Phobos-Grunt space probe which was built by Roscosmos with participation of CNSA. Unfortunately after launch on November 8, 2011, probe failed to start its journey from parking orbit to Phobos (one of the Martian moons). In 2012 probe burnt in Earth atmosphere with Chinese Martian orbital probe Yinghuo-1 onboard. This failed mission was in fact only serious space venture which appeared since 2006 as result of Sino-Russian cooperation. On April 2015 Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin announced about Russian proposition for starting cooperation with China for creating lunar base in near future (it was mentioned that it is possible to create base until end of 2020s). Unfortunately after meeting with Chinese Vice Premier Wang Yang later in 2015, proposition was still proposition and Chinese side seemed not to be interested in such cooperation.

On June 25, 2016 in Beijing Russian President Vladimir Putin met with Chinese President Xi Jinping, but in spite of fact that meeting was on highest level, Sino-Russian cooperation will not dramatically change after this meeting. Russian side of course is able to claim that it was great success; China still declares will of buying famous Russian Energomash RD-180 engines, but still there was more declaring than true action. Previous declarations by Andrey Denisov, Russian Ambassador in China, that cooperation for new heavy rocket and combining efforts to accelerate Moon programs of both countries is natural and seems to be undISPutable, were premature. Ambassador even predicted cooperation in deep space exploration and colonization of Moon:

“In a perspective, cooperation is perceptible in the field of designing a heavy rocket and establishing interaction in the sphere of space stations and long-distance flights.”

Chinese side apparently has other plans for own space exploration. Russia, which is strongly interested in selling arms and space Technologies to China to cover hole in the budget caused by numbers of sanctions after Crimea crisis could consider this business as recessed comparing to previous decades. China developed own technologies and when in the early 2000s, Russian Soyuz spacecraft and Russian weapon were bought by China, now in fact China could sell to Russia own technology. Good examples of change in Chinese space industry could be next generation Chinese spacecraft which capsule scaled model was successfully tested on June 26, 2016, which development seems to be more advanced comparing to Russian “Federation” spacecraft. Another example could be, recently announced by CALT (China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technologies), starting development of new rocket which will be able to lift payload five times heavier than present Long March rockets. With such launch vehicle, CNSA will be able to seriously consider deep space missions including sending heavy payload to Mars or delivering large payload to the Moon. CALT also declared that maiden flight of the rocket is possible in next 15 years. Russia probably would like to see inside next generation Chinese rockets Russian engines, but for the moment it seems less possible. Long March 7 which recently was successfully Launched from Wenchang Satellite Launch Center was equipped with YF-100 Chinese made rocket engines which were designed independently by Xi’an Aerospace Propulsion Institute.

Russia also presented various propositions of participation in space medicine programs which could be useful for CNSA, especially due the ban for Chinese participation in International Space Station. According to Dmitry Rogozin Chinese side expressed “keen interest” in these projects but again without any clear declaration. At the moment Chinese space industry seems to be in very good condition. Various advanced projects like new generation of Long March rockets, successful development of next generation spacecraft, started program of new hypersonic plane which could be considered as the beginning of the creating reusable space plane, successes of the Chang’e lunar probe and advanced plans of creating own space station puts at the moment China in more favorable position comparing to Russian partner. Roscosmos with shrinking budget, postponed Moon program and very general plans for own space station are able to offer China engines, technologies and know-how, but still it is possible that space industry of China is strong enough to achieve same technologies independently sooner or later without involving in cooperation with potential competitor.

http://www.satprnews.com/2016/06/27/sino-russian-cooperation-in-space-is-it-possible/

 

[TaiShang]

China's Eurasian strategy is eventually directed at Northern Europe. Hence, a weakened Europe is not necessarily for China's interests. The potential benefit of the UK exit from the EU is the likelihood of the EU having greater sovereignty to turn toward Eurasia. Without Western Europe, Eurasian framework is never complete.

For China, the most significant partner in its Eurasian push is Russia; therefore, mending and strengthening Russia-EU relations would be a boost for new-Eurasianism. UK exit, in this regard, also potentially beneficial.

If you check the OBOR map, the most investment so far went to the Northern Corridor, the road which goes through Russia into Eastern Europe and then to Western Europe.

This is where the future of Eurasia lies, in China's strategic calculation.

China-Russia-Eastern Europe and Western Europe. Other lines are secondary in importance. The one going into the Middle East through/or above Turkey is the weakest (least invested) one because of the inherent dangers and instabilities. If the sectarian, religious-autocratic, anti-nation state situation improves, China can think of reviving the line.

But this is long down the line.

 

[Taimoor Khan]

India is a anomaly in this regional embrace. While trying ever so hard to be accepted as American ally , punching above its weight while selling itself as regional check on China rise, it is also been shown its true worth by China in recent NSG meet. Maybe India is in SCO to be reminded as to who is the big daddy. Indians policies are not in line with SCO because of its turbulence relations with her immediate SCO neighboring members, China and Pakistan. How much India will be of use when it comes to actual trade and economic links, is questionable due to its geography, issues with neighboring Pakistan and China, and her own desire to contain China on the whims of America.

With EU is doldrums, the Asia pivot of America will certainly be effected where the yanks will find themselves increasingly isolated in their confrontation with China.

 

[TaiShang]

How Russia, China are Creating Unified Eurasian Trade Space
© AFP 2016/ KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV

16:29 23.06.2016(updated 18:29 27.06.2016) Get short URL


Russia is pushing ahead with its project of a "more extensive Eurasian partnership" involving the Eurasian Economic Union, Moscow's CIS partners as well as China, India, Pakistan and Iran; meanwhile, Beijing and Moscow continue to build a Eurasian economic corridor that will stretch from Shanghai to Berlin.

Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to Beijing, scheduled on June 25, aims to strengthen economic ties between Russia and China and facilitate the development of the countries' Eurasian projects.

In his interview with Xinhua, recorded on June 17 on the sidelines of the St Petersburg International Economic Forum, Vladimir Putin emphasized:

"It turns out that to say we [Russia and China] have strategic cooperation is not enough anymore. This is why we have started talking about a comprehensive partnership and strategic collaboration."

"'Comprehensive' means that we work virtually on all major avenues; 'strategic' means that we attach enormous inter‑governmental importance to this work," the President of Russia explained.

It is expected that the leaders of the two countries will sign more than 30 documents during Vladimir Putin's visit to Beijing.

"Predictably, the Russian President's trip to the People's Republic of China has become the focus of worldwide attention, especially after inking the agreement of integration of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) and the China-led New Silk Road initiative on May 8, 2015," Sarkis Tsaturyan, a Russian-Armenian historian and international policy analyst, writes in his recent article for Regnum.

The analyst points out that over the past year Moscow has taken considerable steps in the Asian direction. For instance, on May 1, President Putin approved Federal law N120-FZ on ratification of free trade between the EAEU and Vietnam.

"Now Thailand is knocking on Russia's door," the analyst remarks, adding that not only Moscow is interested in Russo-Thailand rapprochement, but also Beijing, that is planning to build a navigation channel in the south of the kingdom, bypassing the Strait of Malacca.

© Sputnik/ Vladimir Astapkovich
Russian President Vladimir Putin delivers his address at the plenary session of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum.

However, there is much more to be done.

Speaking at the plenary session of the St Petersburg International Economic Forum on June 17 President Putin called attention to the fact that over 40 states and international organizations have expressed their willingness to establish a free trade zone with the EAEU, thus creating a "greater integration area."

"Our partners and we think that the EAEU can become one of the centers of a greater emergent integration area… Now we propose considering the prospects for more extensive Eurasian partnership involving the EAEU and countries with which we already have close partnership — China, India, Pakistan and Iran — and certainly our CIS partners, and other interested countries and associations," the Russian President underscored.

© Sputnik/ Vladimir Astapkovich

EEU, China Should Gradually Remove Barriers for Cooperation on Silk Road Belt - Putin

According to Tsaturyan, Vladimir Putin's message does not require further clarification, especially in the context of Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov's earlier speech at the State Duma on June 15.


During a Government Hour at Russia's State Duma Lavrov pointed out that an agreement on trade and economic cooperation between the EAEU and China "is being drafted," as well as "an agreement in principle on a search for ways of integrating the development plans of the EAEU and the Silk Road Economic Belt." He added that negotiations on establishing free trade zones with many states from different parts of the world are also underway.

"New horizons are opening up by the initiative of Russian President Vladimir Putin on the start of consultations between the member states of the EAEU, the SCO [Shanghai Cooperation Organization] and ASEAN [Association of Southeast Asian Nations] on forming a comprehensive Eurasian economic partnership in the future," Lavrov told the State Duma.

© AP Photo/ Mikhail Klimentyev
Russia, China, Mongolia to Sign Deal on Creation of Economic Corridor

Russia and China's initiatives are understandable in the light of the TPP (Trans-Pacific Partnership) and TTIP (Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership) projects championed by the US. Both countries are interested in creating a unified economic space in Eurasia.

Meanwhile, President of the People's Republic of China Xi Jinping has tested waters in Central and Eastern Europe during his latest trip. Remarkably, Beijing's initiative has received high praise in Warsaw and Belgrade, while the Baltic States are also seeking a way to jump on the New Silk Road bandwagon.

Tsaturyan explains that the China-led New Silk Road initiative envisages the creation of a 13,000 km-long corridor that will cross China, Mongolia, Russia, Belarus, Poland and Germany. As a result a unified economic space from Shanghai to Berlin will be established on the Eurasian continent, he stresses.

The analyst hinted at the fact that Germany and other major European countries are also interested in this integration process, regardless of Washington's obvious displeasure. According to Tsaturyan, Berlin and London seek to diminish the US' influence in Eurasia and swing the balance in their own favor.

Apparently, therefore German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier has openly denounced NATO's Anaconda-2016 military drills on Russia's doorstep as "warmongering" and "saber-rattling" that can deteriorate the situation on the continent and worsen the EU relations with Russia, the analyst suggests.

@vostok , @Chinese-Dragon , @AndrewJin

 

[ahojunk]

"Now Thailand is knocking on Russia's door," the analyst remarks, adding that not only Moscow is interested in Russo-Thailand rapprochement, but also Beijing, that is planning to build a navigation channel in the south of the kingdom, bypassing the Strait of Malacca.

.
@TaiShang

If this is true, Singapore will be greatly impacted.

Isn't Singapore part of the maritime silk route?

 

[nadeemkhan110]

China’s AVIC and Russian Helicopters have finalized an agreement to develop the Advanced Heavy Lift (AHL) helicopter, a new heavy-lift helicopter design based on the Mi-26 platform.

Comment and Analysis

The two sides committed to proceed to the program in May 2015. The AHL will be produced in China to help meet domestic civilian needs in the country. The impetus for such a platform emerged when the Mi-26TS played asignificant part in supporting humanitarian relief missions in China, particularly the earthquakes in Sichuan in both 2008 and 2013.

According to Russian Helicopters, the AHL is expected to have a lift capacity/payload of 10 tons internally and 15 tons externally. While principally designed as a civil-use helicopter, Russian Helicopters believes the AHL could be adapted for military use should a customer request it.

The focus on civilian use is not surprising. China is an immense market, one with a myriad of government and privately-owned entities that could make use of the AHL. From construction companies to agencies involved in medical evacuation and fire-fighting, the AHL will not be short on local demand. Rather, the AHL will join a number of other civilian-first helicopter platforms, the Airbus-AVIC Z-15/H175 and Airbus H215, in supporting the vast Chinese market.

In the long-term, China would be well-served by adapting the AHL (alongside other platforms) for military use if and where possible. The heavy-lift market in particular is narrow, with the CH-47 dominating usage in most major markets using heavy-lift helicopters. With the support of immense domestic usage as well as economies of scale, AVIC could make a competitively strong entry into the global market.
Source: http://quwa.org/2016/06/27/russia-china-proceed-develop-new-heavy-lift-helicopter/

 

[yantong1980]

Hmmm, sound logic, but my opinion geopolitics relationship is sometime quite 'different' than just simply logic. Please, don't so driven by this author of this article, or any article and it author that unrelated with Russia or China. Read anything that official from both countries about this subject, compare both and make your own assumption. Then I think the result will be closer.