East Asia in the New Russian Foreign Policy

East Asia is a vital component to the new Russian foreign policy. If Moscow wants to create coalitions to counterbalance Washington’s influence, it will have to do it on a regional basis. Few European governments or firms are willing to provide additional investment of the sort desired by the industrial recidivists, nor is the European political landscape inviting: Europe affords few opportunities for Russian diplomatic maneuvers (with possible exceptions in the Balkans and Cyprus). Restoring Russia’s economic and political clout will require Moscow to turn its attention to the south and east. These regions – for a while – offer sufficient opportunities to sustain Russian economic and diplomatic objectives .

A power like Russia with its huge interests in Asia and the Middle East can’t have all its eggs in the ‘Western basket.’

Although United States and European firms contribute the bulk of foreign investment in the Russian economy, the total amount of investment remains minuscule. For example, Russian officials have failed to elicit higher levels of German investment owing to the generally inhospitable business climate in Russia.

For the time being, new investment and trade will have to come from the Asians, who – unlike the Europeans – are in need of Russia’s raw materials (especially energy) and armaments.

Russia successfully sought membership in the Organization for Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) to facilitate the expansion of economic links between Russia and Asia. Russia, which officially entered APEC in January 1998, expects entry to produce billions of dollars in economic benefits and provide a solid footing for renewed Russian diplomatic access.

Moscow is also luring investment funds through the United Nations Development Program’s Tumen River Economic Development Area program (TREDA). The project is designed to stimulate investment in the three riparian nations of the Tumen – China, Russia, and North Korea – as well as Mongolia and South Korea. Under the auspices of TREDA, over $282

million in investment has poured into the Tumen River basin, of which about $70 million went to the Primorsky Region of Russia. This project is expected to help anchor Russia in East Asian economic integration.

The Northeast Asian security environment is also more hospitable for Russian diplomacy than the environment in Europe. Russia has joined the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Regional Forum (ARF) as a dialogue partner.

Moscow’s relations with China and Japan form the centerpiece of its Asian strategy. The growing economies of China and Japan have increasing demand Russian raw materials and offer tremendous opportunities for trade and investment. As historical adversaries in East Asia, Japan and China are well suited to the balancing strategy Moscow prefers to pursue. It is within the context of relations between China, Japan, the United States, and Russia that Moscow implements policies on the Korean peninsula.

Ex.4 Summarize the following text and point out: what are the main directions of Japan-Russian relations? Write down the answer.