Sino-Russian cooperation and exchange under the Belt and Road Initiative increases

Frozen grounds, cold winds and long nights - these can be a nightmare for any construction team. But this is what employees of the China Railway Major Bridge Engineering Group grappled with in past winters while building the China-Russia Tongjiang Rail Bridge crossing the border between China and Russia. The bridge is expected to trigger a commercial and infrastructure development boom in the cross-border economic corridor, along with a larger flow of cargo and people.
                                                       

Scheduled to be finished this year, the 2,280-meters bridge (about 1,900 meters of which is built by China) connects Tongjiang city in Heilongjiang Province to Nizhneleninskoye in Russia. It is one of the most important infrastructure projects to promote the implementation of the "plan for building the China-Russia-Mongolia Economic Corridors." The Chinese construction team nearly completed the major parts of the project in China over an intense 14 months in 2015, wining global praise.

With both countries embracing the upcoming year of China-Russia local cooperation and exchange, its completion is a veritable gift to facilitate China-RFE cooperation, together with joint projects in other fields between the two countries in RFE.

Cooperation tightens

In the past two years, the Russia Far East Area has absorbed $9 billion in foreign investment, of which 80 percent comes from China, which is how Russian president Vladimir Putin introduced RFE at the Eastern Economic Forum in 2017.

According to data provided by the Ministry for the Development of Russian Far East, Chinese enterprises increased by one-third in 2017. The 28 joint projects committed to the area are valued at $4 billion, accounting for 35 percent of overall foreign investment in the Far East over the past three years.

Beyond the resource-extraction industry, China's Tianjin Port Group signed a memorandum of understanding for cooperation with Commercial Port of Vladivostok Group in June of 2017 to promote the two ports' integrated development and respond to China's international Belt and Road Initiative.

Azerbaijan, India eye cooperation

The Finance Minister of India, Mr. Arun Jaitley met with the Finance Minister of Azerbaijan, Samir Sharifov in New Delhi on February 21.
                                                     

The two ministers discussed measures for expanding bilateral cooperation between Azerbaijan and India, particularly in the area of trade and investment and exchange of trade and business delegations.

The discussions also dealt with the bilateral agreements being negotiated between the two sides, namely, Bilateral Investment Treaty and the Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement.

India and Azerbaijan enjoy close friendly relations based on historical links and growing bilateral cooperation. India’s ONGC-Videsh is an equity partner in Oil and Gas sector in Azerbaijan.

In 2017, India’s export to Azerbaijan has grown by more than 60 percent and total bilateral trade between India and Azerbaijan has reached around $460 million.

The two countries have growing cooperation in capacity building under the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) programme which provides fully paid training programmes for Azerbaijani professionals and students in Indian institutions.

Time for closer partnership and greater cooperation

On January 22, the Second Ministerial Meeting of the China-CELAC Forum will be held in Santiago, Chile. As an important practice of the major-country diplomacy with Chinese characteristics following the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, the meeting will set the stage for greater progress in the relations between China and Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) countries in the new era.
                                                   

Established in 2014 at the initiative of President Xi Jinping, the China-CELAC Forum is an important milestone of China's distinct foreign policy approach, signifying a new stage of mutually reinforcing progress of bilateral ties and regional cooperation in China-LAC relations.

It has extended China's regional cooperation frameworks to cover all developing countries, contributed to a full-fledged structure of China's foreign policy, added another platform for South-South cooperation and provided strong support to building a community with a shared future for China and LAC countries.

Over the past three years, the China-CELAC Forum has made solid steps and delivered tangible results. Seventeen subforum sessions have been held to promote cooperation in over 10 areas. The dialogue and exchange mechanisms between the two sides have strengthened and expanded. China's financing measures towards LAC countries have been steadily implemented, supporting more than 80 projects concerning people's livelihood in over 20 LAC countries.

China and LAC countries are both developing countries, and we both have our dreams and visions. Across the vast ocean, we look forward to joining hands with our LAC colleagues. It is my belief that with firm determination and persistent efforts, China-LAC cooperation will continue to score new progress in the new era.

Let's unite our efforts and build toward a new form of international relations featuring mutual respect, fairness, justice and win-win cooperation and a community with a shared future for mankind. Together, we will contribute to an open, inclusive, clean and beautiful world that enjoys lasting peace, universal security and common prosperity.

Taiwan, Japan hold maritime cooperation talks

Representatives from Taiwan and Japan yesterday met in Taipei for the second time to discuss maritime cooperation, expressing confidence that robust ties would allow them to overcome even the most formidable challenge through dialogue.
                                                 

The two-day closed-door meeting opened at the Grand Hotel, where Taiwan-Japan Relations Association President Chiou I-jen and his Japanese counterpart, Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association Chairman Mitsuo Ohashi, raised the curtain for the event with a hug, a handshake and a brief speech.

Chiou said the challenges serve as a test for both sides, but given the firm friendship between Taipei and Tokyo, and their shared strategic viewpoints, he believes the problems could be resolved step-by-step through dialogue.

Ohashi said he hoped that the two sides could boost cooperation on maritime affairs to spur Taiwan-Japan relations, which have entered a new phase with increased trade, culture and tourism exchanges.

Ohashi said that the 2013 inking of a Taipei-Tokyo bilateral fisheries agreement after years of uneasy negotiations shows that faced with a complex problem, both sides are able to look at the big picture and meet public expectations.

The agreement aims to end disputes over fishing in waters surrounding the contested Diaoyutai Islands, also known as the Senkaku Islands in Japan.

Taiwan’s delegation is headed by association Secretary-General Chang Shu-ling and includes officials from the Fisheries Agency, the Coast Guard Administration, the Ministry of Science and Technology and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The first round of the meeting, held under the Taiwan-Japan Maritime Affairs Cooperation Dialogue Mechanism, took place in Tokyo in October last year. During the meeting, the two sides failed to reach a consensus on the Okinotori Atoll issue, but agreed to set up a task force on scientific ocean surveys and fishery cooperation.

PH, Russia sign cooperation agreement on education

A historic cooperation agreement on education was signed by the Philippines and Russia after more than a decade of negotiations, the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) announced on Friday.
                                           

The PH-Russia cooperation on education was forged on the sidelines of the 31st ASEAN Summit at the Philippine International Convention Center, Pasay City, CHED Commissioner and Spokesman J. Prospero De Vera III, said in a statement.

President Rodrigo Roa Duterte and Russian Federation Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev witness the exchange of signed agreements between Deputy Minister of Education and Science of the Russian Federation Lydmila Ogorodova and Commission on Higher Education Commissioner J. Prospero de Vera during the bilateral meeting at the Coconut Palace in Pasay City on November 13, 2017.

The cooperation agreement was made official with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Higher Education between the CHED of the Philippines and the Ministry of Education of the Russian Federation.

President Rodrigo Duterte and Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev witnessed the signing of the agreement by De Vera and Deputy Minister Lydmila Ogorodova.

Duterte’s visit to Russia, De Vera said, “cemented good relations between the two states especially in higher education.” He added that since that visit, “communication between Russia and the Philippines on possible higher education cooperation became constant and robust and concluded with the signing of this vital agreement.”

Both countries will also facilitate discussion on a possible agreement on mutual recognition of education, qualifications and academic degrees; exchange of methodological literature, teaching aids, information on cooperation opportunities for research in higher education; and exchange of training programs; and promotion of participation in educational congresses, conferences, seminars, symposiums, training courses and exhibitions.”

Top KSA-Iraq meet to explore areas of cooperation today

A meeting of the Saudi-Iraq Coordinating Council is set to begin at the headquarters of the King Abdullah Petroleum Studies and Research Center (KAPSARC) here on Saturday.
                                           

Presentations on the KAPSARC and the Export Development Authority will be made during the maiden meeting ,which will be followed by cultural events and dinner.
On Sunday, the council will hold a meeting at Al-Faisaliah Hotel in Riyadh, where officials from the two countries will explore areas of cooperation in the presence of ministers from the two countries and senior government officials.
A series of presentations highlighting the investment opportunities, will be made by organizations such as the Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority, the Saudi Food and Drug Authority, SABIC and the Saudi Standards, Metrology and Quality Organization.
The Saudi side will be led by Commerce and Investment Minister Majid Al-Qassabi, while the Iraqi team will be led by Sulaiman Al-Jumaili. Six other Iraqi ministers will also be part of the visiting delegation.
According to a statement to Arab News, the meeting aims to enhance communication between the two countries at the strategic level, deepen mutual political trust and open new horizons of cooperation in various fields including economic development, security, investment, tourism, culture and media.
In addition, important international and regional affairs, protection of common interests, development of partnerships between the private sectors of the two countries, cooperation in scientific research, exchange of visits, and participation in training programs will also be up for discussion during the meeting.
In a statement to our sister paper, Asharq Al-Awsat, Abdul Aziz Al-Shammari, charge d’affaires of the Saudi Embassy in Baghdad, said that the Saudi-Iraqi Coordination Council will cover all vital and important areas between the two countries — political, economic, commercial, security, cultural and others.
Al-Shammari stressed that this step is vital in boosting bilateral ties between Riyadh and Baghdad.

How Singapore-China ties have kept up with the times

For past China-Singapore economic and trade cooperation, not only was it strong from a wide point of view, there were many pragmatic projects. There are several industrial parks at the national and provincial levels. When we talk about China-Singapore cooperation, the cooperation in industrial parks is very conspicuous, such as the Suzhou Industrial Park, the flagship project between both nations. In today's economic and trade relations, there are changes in the regional economies, and there are also changes in the industrial economy. What do you think are the new ways and formats to further promote the trade and economic cooperation between China and Singapore?
                                             

Country to country, the first important project between China and Singapore was the Suzhou Industrial Park which began in the early 1990s. At that time, China was developing different development zones, attracting investment and wooing foreign investments, so we developed the Suzhou Industrial Park. It was (mainly) the transfer of software - transferring the software of some industrial park management and attracting investments. The industrial park can now be said to be mature, successful, and may even have a chance to be listed one day. This can be said to be the first flagship project.

The second flagship project was the Tianjin Eco-City which we did 10 years ago. At that time, China was concerned about sustainable development and environmental protection, so the eco-city focused on these two themes. (However) the eco-city was not limited to these two themes in the last 10 years. We are now talking about some issues of the smart cities, and have also held some projects on healthcare training. This is also related to issues of social management and social policy.