Russia and China not only compete in Asian markets, but also find a balance of compromise and mutual interests, experts said during the Asian conference of the Valdai Club.
The tenth Asian Conference of the Valdai Club “Central Asia and Eurasia: multilateral cooperation facing the challenges of the global turmoil” is being held in Samarkand on November 10-11. More than 60 experts from eleven countries will discuss a wide range of issues and problems of interregional interaction.
“Of course there is competition between the countries. But the meaning of this competition, oddly enough, sounds like cooperation”, – Andrei Bystritsky, chairman of the Valdai Club Development and Support Fund Council answered the question about the possible competition between Russia and China’s market in Central Asia.
The expert noted that the interaction of the two countries in the region, on the one hand, brings new technological initiatives, on the other hand, certain rules of the game, regulatory framework.
“It seems to me that at this stage everything is positive. There is enough reason, will and consent to find ways, compromises. The point here is to find a dialogue, balance with Chinese projects”, – Bystritsky added.
“To say that China and Russia are competitors in Asia – I think this is wrong”, – said Alexander Lomanov, Professor of the National Research Institute of World Economy and International Relations.
The expert recalled that in June the leaders of the two countries proclaimed the entry of Chinese-Russian relations into a new era.
“The key word here is trust”, – Lomanov said.
According to him, today a new context is emerging for regional cooperation between Beijing and Moscow, including the one in Central Asia.
“This is a new state of affairs, it was not so neither ten, nor 15 years ago”, – the expert added.
On the first day of the conference, a special bilateral session “Russia-Uzbekistan” was held. On Monday, it is planned to discuss a wide range of issues and problems of interaction between Central Asian countries and key regional players – the Russian Federation, China and India, as well as the USA and the EU.