MONTHLY INFORMATION DIGEST

FAR EAST ECONOMIC
DEVELOPMENT
1 February – 6 March 2018

KEY THEMES• Dates changed for 4th• Japanese Prime Minister• Far East attracts RUB 3.7

Eastern Economic Forum

Abe to attend SPIEF 2018and EEF 2018

trillion in private investment over
4.5 years

EASTERN ECONOMIC FORUM NEWS6 March 2018, RIA Novosti

Galushka: EEF will become increasingly important for the Far East
The Eastern Economic Forum has confirmed the international community’s high level ofinterest in the Far East, the Minister for the Development of the Russian Far East said at the final
meeting of the Ministry’s collegium on 6 March. He said Russia’s foreign partners have started
talking about transforming the Far East, both at the state level and among the business community.
https://ria.ru/economy/20180306/1515819602.html
5 March 2018, TASS

Dates changed for 4th Eastern Economic ForumThe EEF 2018 will take place on 11–13 September in Vladivostok. The event had previously
been scheduled for 6–7 September 2018. Adviser to the President of the Russian Federation Anton
Kobyakov said the Forum dates were changed due to the schedule of multilateral international
events involving senior public officials.
Organizers continue to work on preparing the EEF 2018 business programme. As in theprevious years, the focus will be on industry and investment, but in 2018 the programme willreportedly devote more attention to the development of human capital.
http://tass.ru/ekonomika/5007804

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FAR EAST ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
21 February 2018, Komsomolskaya Pravda

Japanese Prime Minister Abe to attend SPIEF 2018 and EEF 2018
Adviser to the Russian President Anton Kobyakov and Japanese Ambassador Extraordinaryand Plenipotentiary to Russia Toyohisa Kozuki held a meeting in Moscow at which they exchanged
views on prospects for economic cooperation between Russia and Japan, above all in the contextof Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s participation in the SPIEF 2018 and the EEF 2018.
Kozuki noted that a representative Japanese delegation is expected to attend the forums.
Among others, it will include the Japanese Association for Trade with Russia and Newly Independent
States (ROTOBO) and the Japan External Trade Development Organization (JETRO).
https://www.kp.ru/daily/26797/3832791
9 February 2018, OTV-Prim

Chinese government to encourage businessmen to take part in EEF in Vladivostok
During the opening ceremony of the Years of Russian-Chinese Interregional Cooperation,
the Chinese government urged Chinese businessmen to take part in the EEF 2018. The ceremony
was held in Harbin and was attended by Yury Trutnev and Vice Premier of the State Council of thePeople’s Republic of China Wang Yang, who also invited Russian enterprises to the first China
International Import Expo, which will be held this year in Shanghai.
otvprim.ru/economics/primorskij-kraj_09.02.2018STATE POLICY IN THE FAR EAST
22 February 2018, Interfax

E-visas may be available for another 5 Far East regions in 2018
In addition to Knevichi Airport in Vladivostok, the e-visa mechanism may be extended to such
airports as Yelizovo (Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky), Ignatyevo (Blagoveshchensk), Novy(Khabarovsk), Khomutovo (Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk), and Ugolny (Anadyr) in 2018, bringing the numberof Far Eastern regions that allow foreigners to enter using e-visas to six.
The federal law allowing foreigners to enter Russian territory under the simplified visa regime
took effect on 1 August 2017.
As of 5 February, almost 8,000 e-visas had been issued to citizens of 18 countries in the Far
East, including 2,000 this year. Over 5,100 people from 14 countries entered the Primorsky Region
via e-visas. E-visas were most frequently used by citizens from China (3,300 people) and Japan(1,600 people).
http://tourism.interfax.ru/ru/news/articles/47358/
8 February 2018, RIA Novosti

New ASEZ could open on Russian-Chinese border with investment of USD 1.5 bn
Russia and China are discussing the establishment of a new cross-border advanced special
economic zone (ASEZ) near the border checkpoints of Pogranichy (Primorye) and Suifenhe (China)
with total investment of USD 1.5 billion.
The ASEZ is expected to unite a territory of 413 hectares (233 hectares from the Russianside and 180 hectares from the Chinese side) and ensure the free movement of people, goods, andservices. Russian and Chinese residents of the ASEZ will be able to supply their products to themarkets of both countries without restrictions.
https://ria.ru/east/20180208/1514192322.html

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FAR EAST ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

FAR EAST ECONOMY
6 March 2018, Vesti.Economics

Far East attracts RUB 3.7 trillion in private investments in 4.5 years
As a result of a new economic policy, 1,200 new investment projects have been announced
and 120,000 jobs have been created, Minister for the Development of the Russian Far East
Alexander Galushka said at the final meeting of the Ministry’s collegium on the results of 2017.
Galushka said that thanks to the new mechanisms – special economic zones, the Free Portof Vladivostok, and infrastructure support – some of the largest construction projects in the country
have been launched in the Far East, including the Amur Gas Processing Plant, the East
Petrochemical Complex, the Zvezda shipbuilding complex, major livestock complexes, and crossborder bridge crossings in the Amur Region and the Jewish Autonomous District.
https://www.vestifinance.ru/articles/98570
27 February 2018, TASS

New layout of Vladivostok to help implement 37 projects for almost RUB 23 bn
Changes to the city’s master layout will help to ensure the implementation of 37 investment
projects of residents of the Free Port of Vladivostok for the construction of logistics infrastructure,
new residential buildings, sports and tourism infrastructure, construction material facilities, andaquaculture. Total declared investment under these projects amounts to RUB 22.8 billion, and 1,077
jobs are expected to be created.
http://tass.ru/v-strane/4990025
15 February 2018, RBC

Novatek to spend up to USD 1.5 bn on building LNG terminal in Kamchatka
The construction site of the LNG terminal in Kamchatka will be determined in the coming
months. Among the options being considered are Bechevinskaya Bay and Avacha Bay. Whenbuilding the transhipment complex, designers will take into account the region’s seismicity in orderto protect the project against earthquakes.
Novatek plans to build the terminal in Kamchatka before 2023. The company will build uniquetankers for Russia that are designed for 360,000 cubic metres of fuel.
https://www.rbc.ru/rbcfreenews/5a8562509a794723e13978b7
4 February 2018, TASS

Japan to present Russia plan for modernization of Vladivostok infrastructure
The Japanese government intends to offer Russia a plan to modernize Vladivostok's urban
infrastructure using Japanese technologies, including improvements to traffic and the constructionof tourism facilities and areas around railway stations. This plan was prepared on the eve ofJapanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s visit to Russia in May and will soon be handed over to Russia.
http://tass.ru/ekonomika/4928241

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FAR EAST ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENTNEWMECHANISMSFORFARDEVELOPMENT: SUCCESS STORIES

EAST

1 February 2018, TASS

Almost 110,000 Russian submit applications for ‘Far Eastern hectare’More than 109,400 Russians have submitted applications for a ‘Far Eastern hectare’, andmore than 35,000 people have already received plots under this programme; applications are mainly
being filed by residents of the Far East, while the leaders in terms of the amount of land provided
are currently the Primorsky Region and the Khabarovsk Territory. The ‘Far Eastern hectare’programme grants each Russian citizen the right to receive a land plot of up to 1 hectare in the Far
East free of charge.
http://tass.ru/obschestvo/4920468

ORGANIZER OF THE EASTERN ECONOMIC FORUM:4