BEIJING, September 13. /TASS/. Russia is turning to Eastern Asian countries and the global South not only politically, but also economically, Zhang Hong, an associate research fellow at the Institute of Russian, Eastern European and Central Asian Studies of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times newspaper.
"Russia is not only turning to the East and the South politically and diplomatically, but also economically," he said commenting on Russian President Vladimir Putin’s speech at the Eastern Economic Forum (EEF) in Vladivostok. The trend is obvious due to intensified contacts of Russia with China, India and ASEAN members, the expert added.
"Russia and the West have decided to decouple with each other in the long term, and this is a great opportunity for Chinese firms," Zhang Hong pointed out.
Speaking at the EEF, Putin noted the necessity to beef up the industrial potential of Russia’s Far East, the expert said. "This is a key signal that should be noticed, because in the past, Russia had many ideas to develop its Far East, including high-tech innovation, international trade and agriculture. But now, Russia is being more specific," he stressed.
Putin said earlier that the development of the Far East is an absolute priority for Moscow for the whole century, adding that Russian authorities intend to develop industry in the region across the most diverse range of sectors.