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6 “A Window on China”: A History of Creating Cross-Border Economic Zones on the Sino-Russian Border
Abstract This chapter provides a historical perspective on one of the most important cases in Sino-Russian regional cooperation: the development of cross-border economic zones, often seen as symbols of mutual trust and readiness for further integration. Paradoxically, however, in this case, a high level of intergovernmental relations between Moscow and Beijing still coexists with a “wheelspin” at the regional level because none of the proposed cross-border economic zones has yet been launched. On the basis of open sources, archival material, memoirs, and interviews with participants in cross-border cooperation, the authors explain why this is so. An important conclusion is that, from the late 1980s to the present, shifts in the governments’ attitudes toward local cross-border projects have been the main factor influencing their implementation. Now, large-scale infrastructural projects (such as trans-Amur bridges or cross-border pipelines) with proactive involvement of the two governments are successful, while the projects initiated by local business or officials remain uncertain.
Keywords China, Russia, Far East, cross-border cooperation, integration
