On September 7, a delegation of the International BRICS Competition Law and Policy Centre held a working meeting with representatives of the Institute of Russian, East European and Central Asian Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (IEERCAS).
Professor Xu Poling, Head of the Russian Economics Department of the Institute, emphasized that strategic economic cooperation with Russia is one of the most important areas of China's policy. He noted that in the run-up to the BRICS Summit in Kazan in October, which will be held under Russia's Chairmanship, cooperation should be expanded both in the BRICS format and within the framework of other initiatives, including the "One Belt, One Road" project.
Alexey Ivanov, Director of the BRICS Competition Centre, supported the professor and noted the importance of international coordination of competition protection and advocacy efforts. The interaction between regulators and academics and experts plays a special role in this regard. Recognizing this, the BRICS Centre and the IEERCAS signed a Memorandum of Cooperation in August 2024. The parties agreed to exchange information, prepare joint reports, and participate in each other's scientific conferences and seminars.
The central topic of the meeting was the development of Russian-Chinese exchange trade in consumer goods (commodities). Alexey Ivanov spoke about the historical development of trade in commodities between Russia and China. Thus, in the 19th century, Russian tea supplies were carried overland from central China through the northeastern part of Russia, and modern Chinese Wuhan was the starting point of the Great Tea Route. Thanks to the conclusion of the mutually beneficial Treaty of Kyakhta, Russian tea factories were built in central China, Russian settlements sprang up, and trade and economic ties between the states developed.
This historically established cooperation can be renewed and strengthened if Russian and Chinese entrepreneurs work directly, through modern exchange mechanisms, which will not only allow to establish direct long-term ties, but also reduce the prices of goods for end consumers, as they will exclude the use of intermediary schemes.
The key task for experts and researchers is to develop a system of organizational, legal and economic measures and analyze the necessary conditions for the establishment of exchange platforms and the development of exchange trading, including in the BRICS format. Xu Poling also noted that solving the problem of opacity of the investment climate could have a positive impact on the economies of the two countries.
The parties agreed that the expansion of expert and academic cooperation should strengthen economic ties between the countries and agreed to continue the discussion within the framework of the international conference “Antimonopoly Policy: Science, Practice, Education” to be held in Moscow on November 14-15. The event is traditionally organized by the FAS of Russia and the BRICS Competition Centre.
On the Chinese side, the meeting was also attended by Jiang Jing, Ding Chao and Zhou Caiquan, leading researchers of the Russian Economic Research Department of the IEERCAS.
