Posts tagged Russia

Joint eco-tourism zone at the Sino-Russian border?

By Martin Saxer | July 21, 2011

Yesterday, Heixiazi Island (or Bolshoy Ussuriysky Island, as it is known in Russia) officially opened for tourism. There was a ceremony, and a group of Chinese tourists visited the Island. China Daily (here and here), CRI English, CCTV and many others reported.

The island at the confluence of the Amur the Ussuri rivers was a bone of contention in the process of settling the border dispute between the Russian Federation and the PRC. In 2004, Russia agreed to relinquish control over roughly half of the 335 km² island to China. In 2008, the border demarcation was complete. During Wen Jiabao’s visit in Moscow in November 2010 a joint statement was issued that Heixiaxi/Bolshoy Ussuriyskyi island would be cooperatively developed into an eco-tourism zone.

Merely eight months later, the zone is up and running. Yet, it seems to be an exclusively Chinese affair, at least for the time being. Russian media have more or less ignored the event, or have briefly mentioned it in a different light. Komsomolskaya Pravda, for example, cites Xinhua on the matter and mentions that a Chinese travel agency has gained the exclusive right to organise tours.

Posted in Border Review | Also tagged , , , | Leave a comment

The Washington Post: China, rich with coal, seeks more next door in Mongolia to meet its energy needs

By Martin Saxer | July 18, 2011

Andrew Higgins for The Washington Post on the coal mining boom and  Mongolia’s Tavan Tolgoi pit (Ömnögovi Province). He argues that the boom is driven by China’s continuing demand for coal. Although the PRC has huge coal reserves itself it still needs to import more to satisfy demand. However, there is competition over access to Mongolian coal:

China and Russia have offered money to help finance Mongolia’s railway-building plans from Tavan Tolgoi. Beijing wants the line to head south and use Chinese-gauge tracks. Moscow wants it to go toward Russia and to use Russian-width track, which is incompatible with China’s network.
For the moment, tangled feelings toward China have trumped linear economic logic. But, predicted Od, the former diplomat in Washington, this will change. China is “like a big vacuum that sucks everything in,” Od said. “We are very lucky.”

Higgins works out the paradox quite nicely. He cites a recent opinion poll on the question what country would the best partner for Mongolia. China came in last. However, at the same time:

There are now more students studying Chinese in Mongolia than Russian, once a lingua franca in what was until 1991 an effective Soviet colony.

Posted in Border Review | Also tagged , , | Leave a comment