In recent years, Russia and China have significantly expanded bilateral trade and economic relations. Rapid growth has been seen in bilateral trade and investment cooperation, regional and cross-border relations have intensified, and the Russian and Chinese business communities have shown a greater interest in mutual cooperation. The Chinese market is enormous and has a large number of solvent consumers. The number of Russian SMEs that export goods, services, or components to China is currently on the rise. What economic potential exists for interaction between Russian and Chinese SMEs? What is the current level of trade turnover between Russia and China? What do Russian entrepreneurs usually export to China and what measures have helped them increase turnover? What difficulties do entrepreneurs face when promoting products from the Russian Federation? What is the most effective way to further develop SMEs? Where are the most promising markets right now? What logistical and infrastructural opportunities are available for entering the Chinese market?

Moderator:
Alexander Kalinin — President, All‑Russian Non‑Governmental Organization of Small and Medium‑Sized Businesses OPORA RUSSIA

Speakers:
Igor Vetryuk — General Director, Well Way
Ilona Gorsheneva-Dolunts — Director, Owner, InterBiz Trade and Logistics Company
Alexander Zainigabdinov — Head of the Beijing office of China Window Consulting Group, arbitrator of the Shanghai International Arbitration Center
Alexey Maslov — Director, Institute of Asian and African Studies, Lomonosov Moscow State University

As the world continues to change, it is becoming increasingly clear that we have entered a transitional era. The West’s unipolar hegemony led by the United States is a thing of the past, yet the configuration of the new global world order remains elusive. Key global players are putting forward their own proposals for the future of international relations. Russia is the leading proponent of a multipolar world and the Greater Eurasia Partnership. China is proposing its concept of a ‘Community of Common Destiny for Mankind’ and is implementing the Belt and Road initiative. India is advocating its plan of ‘One Earth, One Family, One Future’ and stressing the importance of an open and inclusive Indo-Pacific region. To what extent can these and other visions of the future of the world order complement each other harmoniously? Or will they inevitably conflict, compete, and undermine each other?

Moderators:
Yevgeny Vlasov — Vice-Rector for International Relations, Far Eastern Federal University
Dongsheng Di — Dean of School of Global and Area Studies, Renmin University of China

Speakers:
Boris Korobets — Rector, Far Eastern Federal University
Bo Linh Le — Member of the Central Theoretical Council of the Central Committee, Communist Party of Vietnam
Yu Miaojie — Rector, Liaoning University
Ebrima Ceesay — Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Gambia to the Russian Federation

Front row participant:
Ivan Zuenko —

In the history of BRICS, 2024 is a landmark year. In addition to creating fresh opportunities for BRICS to look into, the association's expansion presents complex challenges in terms of reforming the way it operates. Russia's role as the current BRICS Chair is especially significant in this perspective. BRICS is currently concentrated on figuring out how to function in its new form and integrate new members as rapidly and efficiently as possible into the group’s activities. At the same time, there is a need to develop mechanisms for maintaining stability and bolstering internal unity among the BRICS nations. What impact will growth have on BRICS's decision-making process? What would be the best way to balance the interests of each and every member country? What comes next for the BRICS expansion process? Is it possible for the BRICS countries to increase their collaboration in the field of global security? How best to establish a relationship between the Global Majority and the BRICS countries? How should the newly formed BRICS position itself in light of its expansion?

Moderator:
Victoria Panova — Head, BRICS Expert Council – Russia; Vice-Rector, National Research University Higher School of Economics; Russian W20 Sherpa

Speakers:
Zenebe Abdi — Deputy Director, Institute of Foreign Affairs
Alireza Khoda Gholipour — Deputy General Director, Director for Asian Studies, Institute for Political and International Studies
Mohamed Salah — Member of the Board of Trustees, Al-Hewar Foundation for Studies and Humanities Researchs; Chairman, Eurasia and BRICS Forum; Member of the Advisory Board, World Tourism Experts Forum
Sergey Storchak — Senior Banker, VEB.RF
Dmitry Suslov — Deputy Director, Center for Comprehensive European and International Studies; Expert of the Working Group "Country Analysis and Analysis of National Strategies of BRICS", BRICS Expert Council–Russia
Zhao Jing — Deputy Secretary General, China Council for the BRICS Think Tank Cooperation (CCBTC)

Front row participant:
Nikita Gusakov — Chief Executive Officer, EXIAR; Senior Vice President, Russian Export Center

The Russia–ASEAN strategic partnership marked the fifth year of its establishment in 2023. In 2004, Russia joined the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia as part of the Bali Treaty. These are crucial prerequisites for Russia to further intensify its dialogue with ASEAN member states. Russia attaches priority significance to cooperation with ASEAN taking into account the rapidly growing and multifaceted potential of the Asia-Pacific region. Plans for the advanced development of the Russian Far East and Arctic zone also depend on the effective realization of the potential for cooperation with the Asia-Pacific region. What are some of the most promising and strategic focuses for the development of the Russian Far East and the countries of Southeast Asia? What challenges do Russia and ASEAN member countries face in terms of intensifying trade and economic cooperation? What will Russia’s relations with ASEAN member countries look like by 2030? What joint investment projects will be implemented to bolster mutual infrastructure and improve people’s quality of life in Russia and ASEAN countries? How can we create conditions for a productive dialogue and mutually beneficial partnership?

Moderator:
Ivan Polyakov — Chairman, Russia – ASEAN Business Council

Speakers:
Gohar Barseghyan — Member of the Board (Minister) for Industry and Agro-Industrial Complex, Eurasian Economic Commission
Sergey Katyrin — President, Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation
Thet Thet Khine — Union Minister of Hotels and Tourism of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar
Amor Maclang — Co-Founder, Secretary General, International Digital Economies Association (IDEA); Convenor, Digital Pilipinas (online)
Sergey Machekhin — Deputy General Director for Project Engineering, Sustainable Development and International Cooperation, RusHydro
Aleksey Raikevich — General Director, GLONASS

Russia has adopted a law on the development of mining. This creates new opportunities for Russia and its partners to grow the industry in the legal field, digitalize the economy, and make foreign economic activities more flexible. At present, Russia firmly ranks second in the world in the mining market and is ahead of the United States in terms of growth. By developing the mining industry, Russia is making a practical contribution to the development of end-to-end technologies in the country, which is crucial to achieving economic leadership in the world arena. The mining industry has an infrastructure base to implement projects in artificial intelligence and as part of the Data Economy national project. In autumn 2024, the largest data centre in the Far Eastern Federal District will open. What are some of the results that have been produced by the adoption of legislation on mining and the circulation of cryptocurrencies? How are Russia and its international partners benefiting from this? What other challenges need to be solved and what needs to be fine-tuned? What is the most logical way to use cryptocurrencies in the current conditions?

Speakers:
Sergey Bezdelov — Director, Industrial Mining Association
Dmitriy Vitman — Operations Director of Corporate and Investment Business, Alfa-Bank
Igor Runets — Founder, General Director, BitRiver
Timofey Semenov — General Director, Intelion Mine

Modern challenges have brought issues of global drug safety to the fore – issues that require quick and proven solutions. Preventing drug defects, ensuring their uninterrupted availability, and strengthening drug circulation systems in general – these are among the key priorities of the cooperation agenda between Russia and the BRICS countries, primarily China, in the innovation and hi-tech production of medicinal products. Chinese pharmaceutical companies and research centres have expressed their readiness to localize part of their activities on the territory of the Russian Federation, specifically in the special economic zones of the Far East. In addition, Russia and China need to work together on mechanisms for promoting competitive products in pharmaceutical markets throughout the Asia region. With all that said, solutions still need to be found that would remove various barriers from the bilateral cooperation agenda, one being the fact that the Chinese professional community is mostly unaware about the opportunities for joint activities. What aspects of strengthening cooperation between Russia and China should be discussed first? In what priority areas are effective solutions needed in order to pave the way for long-term partnerships between the two countries? What mechanisms are needed that could harmonize these processes? What prospects does cooperation in the field of drug policy open up for the BRICS countries?

Speaker:
Dmitry Kudlay — Vice President for the Introduction of New Medical Technologies, Generium

Long-term observations indicate that the average annual temperature on the Earth’s surface in Russia has been growing by an average of 0.51 °C every 10 years since the mid-1970s (the temperature growth rate has increased by 0.04 °C compared with 2019), which is 2.8 times higher than the average growth rate in global temperatures (0.18 °C every 10 years). The growth rate in Russia’s Arctic zone is 3.9 times higher than the average global rate (0.71 °C every 10 years). The adaptation process involves adjusting to actual or expected climate change and its consequences in manmade and natural systems in order to reduce harm or take advantage of favourable opportunities. Is Russian business ready to integrate adaptation principles into their economic activities, and how would this affect such business processes as risk management and long-term planning? Is it better to deal with such issues today or is this an additional burden on business?

Moderator:
Marina Kim — Deputy of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation; TV presenter, journalist

Speakers:
Sergey Zhuravlev — Vice President of Government Relations, Polyus
Tatiana Zavyalova — Senior Vice President for ESG, Sberbank
Igor Korotetskiy — Head of the Group for the Provision of Services in the Field of Operational Risks and Sustainable Development, Kept
Sergey Machekhin — Deputy General Director for Project Engineering, Sustainable Development and International Cooperation, RusHydro
Dmitry Pristanskov — State Secretary – Vice President, Norilsk Nickel; Film Producer, Co-Founder, Monumental Vision film company
Marina Slutskaya — Director of the Sustainable Development and International Cooperation Unit, DOM.RF
Vyacheslav Fetisov — Deputy of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation; Chairman, Russian Society for Nature Conservation (VOOP)

The geopolitical and economic challenges of today, along with the high degree of interdependence of global economies, highlight the need to search for and develop new approaches and strategies for cooperation between countries. Joint efforts based on mutually beneficial trade and logistics partnerships will open up prospects for all participants, bolster their standing on the global stage, and provide the foundation for a multipolar world. What integration models can be developed to strengthen trade cooperation between countries? Do the BRICS+ countries enjoy a special role in global trade? How can cooperation in trade and transport contribute to sustainable development and stability in a multipolar world? How can the mechanism of state support for foreign trade be fine-tuned (the purpose of the ‘International Cooperation and Export’ national project)? Do we need to build a transport and logistics infrastructure abroad? What can businesses do to support the state’s plans? And what can the state do to help businesses in new markets?

Moderator:
Elina Tikhonova — Anchor, RBC

Speakers:
Alexander Kreshchenko — President, Segezha Group
Sergey Levin — Deputy Minister of Agriculture of the Russian Federation
Valery Limarenko — Governor of Sakhalin Region
Veronika Nikishina — General Director, Russian Export Center
Roman Chekushov — State Secretary - Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation
Sergey Shishkarev — Chairman of the Board of Directors, Delo Group of Companies

Front row participant:
Francisco Kajatt-Vaccari — Chairman of the Board of Directors, Corporacion Kajatt Vaccari

The changes in the balance of power that have taken place on the world stage have clearly exposed the discrepancy between the existing international institutions and the new agenda of the multipolar world order. Influenced by supporters of the archaic balance of power, modern scientific, educational, cultural, sports, and political structures continue to promote the ideas of the Western minority. The supranational organizations that were created in the past have lost their influence and now only play an advisory role. Given the need to curb the national egoism of a number of states, world leaders now face the challenge of creating alternative international institutions that can fully meet the demands of modern society. The Russian Far East plays a key important role in bolstering a fair world order. The region, with its unique natural, economic, and technological resources, is creating unprecedented opportunities for cooperation with rapidly developing countries around the world and, above all, the Asia-Pacific region. What prospects exist for boosting the level of cooperation between the Far Eastern region and other countries in order to revive existing and create new international institutions that will provide a platform for equal dialogue between all countries and help foster greater international collaboration?

Moderator:
Daniil Bisslinger — Director General, Directorate of the World Youth Festival

Speakers:
Pierre de Gaulle — Public Figure
Alexander Machevskiy — Managing Director, VEB.RF
Weyinmi Eribo — General Manager, Women Chamber of Commerce Industry Mines and Agriculture

The task of reducing the existing human resources deficit becomes more urgent everywhere with each passing year, and it affects developing and developed countries alike. Tense geopolitical realities have countries sweetening the pot to entice foreign specialists over to their side. To achieve national development goals and lead the technological pack, Russia must create favorable conditions for the employment of highly qualified specialists and ensure a flow of qualified foreign personnel into the Russian economy. How can we manipulate migration to meet the needs of the country? What can we do to make Russia more attractive to foreign specialists, scientists, and students? Could new programmes be used to stimulate a ‘brain gain’? Who should be responsible for creating demand for such specialists and helping them adapt? What role should business play in these processes? How do foreign specialists and their international experience influence economic growth and the development of large projects?

Speakers:
Aleksandr Vaino — Director of the "Young Professionals" department, Agency of Strategic Initiatives (ASI)
Yakov Sergienko — General Director, Yakov & Partners

Today, Russia and China are actively enhancing their mutual cooperation: the bilateral trade is expanding, the share of national currencies in settlements between the two countries has exceeded 90%, and the foreign trade pattern itself is changing to include the ever growing number of non-resource goods. The cooperation is felt everywhere, not just among businesses and government. For example, in 2023, the share of Chinese cars bought by Russian consumers topped 50%. The next stage of this development will be a strong cross-border growth of businesses in both countries driven not only by the increased mutual trade but also by the growing local manufacturing content.

Bolstering mutually beneficial relations with the countries of Greater Eurasia and the Asia-Pacific is one of Russia’s top priorities on the world stage. It is crucial to develop the practical aspect of such interaction, build cooperation ties with the involvement of businesses from countries in the macro-region, and eliminate potential restrictions and barriers that could impede the realization of their combined complementary potential. This work could be facilitated by using the unique experience and effectively combining the efforts of key integration projects and multilateral formats that unite the countries of the region. The EAEU, SCO, and BRICS all play a special role in this regard. How can we encourage business to become more involved in the development of industrial cooperation? What needs to be done to ensure unimpeded payments and settlements? How can we eliminate technical barriers to trade, standardization, and technical regulation? What steps need to be taken to develop and modernize national and international support tools and preferential regimes in Greater Eurasia?

Moderator:
Alexander Shokhin — President, Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs

Speakers:
Gohar Barseghyan — Member of the Board (Minister) for Industry and Agro-Industrial Complex, Eurasian Economic Commission
Alexey Overchuk — Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation

In the light of globalization and digitalization, a nation’s competitiveness in the global tourism market becomes even more important for their economic growth. The 2020 global tourism crisis led to structural changes in the industry, and tourists developed new preferences. In 2024, the Discover Russia brand is showing foreign tourists a safe, hospitable, comfortable travel destination safe and respectful of all religions and traditional values and capable of catering to all tastes. Doing so requires tour products that take into account the national and cultural characteristics of tourists and their unique habits and preferences. What are Russia’s competitive advantages in tourism? What regional tourism pilot projects exist? How effective are mechanisms of state support: visa policies, payment mechanisms under sanctions, expanding flight options, and ensuring convenient transport?

Moderator:
Pavel Smelov — General Director, Center for Strategic Research Foundation

Speakers:
Dmitry Vakhrukov — Deputy Minister Economic Development of the Russian Federation
Aldar Dorzhiev — Minister of Tourism of the Republic of Buryatia
Vladimir Rusanov — Minister of Tourism of Kamchatka Territory
Ilya Umansky — President, Russian Union of Travel Industry; General Director, National tour operator “Alean”
Olga Filipenkova — Managing Director, Centre for Tourism Development in the Polar Urals

The Asia-Pacific region has always been of particular interest to Russia, since Asia, in particular China, accounts for the bulk of Russian content exports. China’s film industry is currently among the top in world cinema. It has become an influential industry that is capable of creating content in a wide variety of sizes and genres, and the audience market is considered one of the most up-and-coming in the world. Today, the question is whether the two countries can expand and intensify collaboration both in film distribution and co-production projects, as well as building investment cooperation. What support measures could have a significant impact on Russian-Chinese cooperation in the creative industries? What barriers are preventing Russian films from entering Asia-Pacific markets today? Could the regions of the Far East become a future filming location for the Chinese film industry? What special considerations need to be taken into account when localizing content? What bonuses and prospects can Russian companies gain from maintaining a systematic presence in Asian film markets?

Speakers:
Elsa Antonova — General Director, Roskino
Nikolay Zlatopolsky — Director of International Sales Department, Central Partnership (online)
Sergey Ilyevsky — General Director, ArtMainstream
Yi Lin — Vice President, Shanghai CMC Pictures Co
Igor Chomsky — Director of Interaction with the Industry of the Holding, MTS Media

The world is currently in the active phase of the energy transition. The development of renewable energy sources is having an increasing impact on the economy and is closely tied to the climate agenda. However, the world is not going to completely abandon fossil fuels. Russia has a unique set of advantages, which, if utilized properly, could allow it to set the tone in the global energy industry of tomorrow. Such advantages include large reserves, well-developed infrastructure for the extraction of minerals, the hydropower industry, in which only 20% of its potential has been developed, enormous potential for growth in solar and wind generation, and unique experience in the development of nuclear energy compared with other countries. How can we strike a balance that will take into account the interests of all market participants and allow them to be competitive in the energy industry of the future? What configuration of generation sources is optimal for the state, taking into account the trends of the energy transition? What does this configuration look like for Russia’s largest trading partners – China and India? How are they adapting to the challenges of the energy transition? Optional: how realistic is it today to build a large hydroelectric power plant with the involvement of investors from countries that maintain friendly relations with Russia, and would the state be ready to hand it over to private players?

Moderator:
Kirill Tokarev — Editor-in-Chief, Anchor, RBC

Speakers:
Roman Berdnikov — First Deputy General Director, Member of the Management Board, RusHydro
Irina Gaida — Deputy Director of the Project Center for Energy Transition and ESG Principles, Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology (Skoltech)
Tatiana Zavyalova — Senior Vice President for ESG, Sberbank
Vladimir Kolmogorov — General Director, En+
Grigory Nazarov — General Director, NovaWind
Anton Poriadine — Partner, Yakov & Partners

Front row participant:
Sergey Storchak — Senior Banker, VEB.RF

In today’s world, where globalization and integration are becoming increasingly significant factors in the development of society, special attention is paid to regions that play a key role in the formation of the new world order. The Asia-Pacific has become a new centre of politics and economics, playing a key role in the modern geopolitical system. And no one can deny that the centre of global development has shifted to this region. Southeast Asia is a critical region for global politics, where complex political processes are unfolding, including territorial disputes and changing balances of power between various countries. How does the changing balance of power in the Asia-Pacific affect the global geopolitical situation? What external forces influence political processes in the Asia-Pacfic? How might the process of decoupling that is taking place between the United States and China change global political and economic relations? What are NATO’s interests in the Asia-Pacific in the context of the U.S.–China rivalry? Could Southeast Asia become the new global financial centre?

Moderator:
Alexander Dugin — Chairman of the Organizing Committee, Multipolarity Forum; Director, Ivan Ilyin Higher Political School

Speakers:
Atul Aneja — International Relations Specialist, Editor of The Hindu
Connie Rahakundini Bakrie — Professor, Faculty of International Relations, St. Petersburg State University
Zhang Weiwei — Professor, Fudan University; Director of the Chinese Institute
Maria Zakharova — Director, Department of Information and the Press, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation
Vinay Kumar — Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of India to the Russian Federation
Konstantin Malofeev — Head, Tsargrad
Nkosi Zwelivelile Mandela — Chairman, International Russophile Movement; Member of Parliament, Chairman of Portfolio Committee on Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development, National Assembly of South Africa

We can only talk hypothetically about how dangerous, contagious, or lethal Disease X might be in the future. However, it is highly likely that a new pathogen with pandemic potential will emerge in Southeast Asia. Given the population density, urbanization, degree of economic integration, rapidly growing interrelations, and pace of trade and economic development, the countries in the region need to create new opportunities for cooperation in epidemic risk management, the early detection and suppression of new infections, as well as research and development in terms of diagnostics and vaccines. How Southeast Asia ends up preparing for Disease X will dictate whether a new pandemic will be more destructive than COVID-19. Is the threat of a new unknown Disease X real? When can we expect it and what will contribute to its emergence? What do we need to do to prevent the emergence of a new pandemic? Is Southeast Asia ready for the next pandemic? Will it be able to protect the world and prevent the spread of a potential disease? What priorities exist for scientific and technical cooperation among countries in the region to improve their readiness for infectious threats? What cooperation mechanisms need to be strengthened and developed to improve preparedness and respond to pandemics?

Moderator:
Anna Popova — Head of the Federal Service for Surveillance on Consumer Rights Protection and Human Wellbeing; Chief State Sanitary Physician of the Russian Federation

Speakers:
Nguyen Phi Long — Deputy General Manager, Joint Russian-Vietnamese Tropical Research and Technological Center
Mikhail Shchelkanov — Director, Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology named after G.P. Somov
Irina Yarovaya — Deputy Chairman of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation

Front row participants:
Ilnaz Imatdinov — Head of the Laboratory of the Department of Genomic Research, State Research Center of Virology and Biotechnology "Vector"
Vadim Petrov — Head of the Scientific Group for the Development of New Molecular Biological Technologies, Central Research Institute of Epidemiology

India is a long-standing friend of Russia, as well as a business, cultural, and political partner. The strong ties between the two countries were built back in Soviet times and are now progressing a new level. The Indian economy is showing impressive growth rates. India ranks third in the world by GDP in terms of purchasing power parity. Russia is also becoming one of the most important trading partners for the rapidly growing Indian economy. To further increase mutual trade, as well as intensify investment cooperation, Russia and India need to define their key goals and objectives of cooperation, including in such promising areas as industrial cooperation, transport and logistics interconnectivity, as well as financial infrastructure. How is logistics communication developing between India and Russia? How successfully are routes being implemented within the North–South International Transport Corridor and the Vladivostok–Chennai sea corridor? India remains a key market for Russian business. Who has managed to fully tap into the potential of the Indian market? Which segments of the Indian market have the greatest potential for Russian companies? Which Indian products are in demand in Russia? Which segments of the economy are the most promising for expanding cooperation? Is Indian business interested in the Russian market? What difficulties do Indian players see in entering the Russian market? What could help improve cooperation in the mutual exchange of experience, expertise, and technologies?

Moderator:
Yakov Sergienko — General Director, Yakov & Partners

Speakers:
Anatoliy Bobrakov — Deputy Minister of the Russian Federation for the Development of the Far East and the Arctic
Tribhuvan Darbari — Chairman of the India-Russia Business Council, Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI)
Vladimir Ivin — Deputy Head, Federal Customs Service of the Russian Federation
Pavel Lyakhovich — Member of the Management Board, Executive Director, SIBUR LLC
German Maslov — Vice President of Liner and Logistic Division, FESCO

Front row participant:
Manpreet Singh — President, Indian Chamber of International Business

Despite attempts by unfriendly countries to rewrite the rules of the game in the geopolitical arena, Russia remains committed to the existing foundations of international law and is engaged in mutually beneficial cooperation with states that are members of BRICS and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. In an effort to strengthen economic ties, Russia signed a comprehensive strategic partnership agreement with the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea this year, and the leaders of Russia and China issued a joint statement on intensifying relations as part of their comprehensive partnership and strategic interaction. At present, Russia is implementing a new model of economic growth and actively developing its heavy and manufacturing industry, agriculture, and tourism. The country is paying particular attention to the breakthrough development of the Far Eastern Federal District, which is of strategic importance for ensuring stable trade turnover in the Asia-Pacific region. In order to achieve Russian President Vladimir Putin’s goal of ensuring higher economic growth rates, Russia is implementing a unique set of measures of state support for enterprises, creating essential infrastructure, introducing new digital mechanisms to help reduce time costs and administrative barriers, and optimizing production chains and processes. The regulatory guillotine that is being introduced has significantly reduced the number of mandatory requirements for entrepreneurs and eradicated tens of thousands of redundant and outdated norms and rules. Prosecutors are directly involved in this work in order to systematically protect the rights of business entities, promote the establishment of an easy, understandable, and internally consistent regulatory framework, offer supervisory guidance for all the different types of support that are being provided, and encourage entrepreneurial initiative, including when authorizing control and supervisory activities. Balancing the interests of the state, society, and business in this manner will make it possible to mitigate the consequences of negative foreign policy factors as much as possible. What path has the Russian legal system traversed in recent years? What is unique about the mechanisms that have been developed to protect bona fide businesses, including in territories with special economic regimes? How does the proactive nature of prosecutorial supervision affect the creation of comfortable conditions for entrepreneurs? What measures are being taken to reduce the administrative burden? How can we ensure the security of the information technologies that are being introduced? What could help boost the confidence of foreign investors? What else needs to be done?

The importance and scale of infrastructure projects, as well as their impact on the economy and geopolitics, are increasing each year. The strengthening of ties between Russia and countries of the East has led to an increase in trade turnover, while the creation of new and modernization of existing routes is opening up new opportunities for Russian exporters. Strong infrastructure and logistics that are not dependent on the global market situation are becoming the foundation of a multipolar world and an equal partnership between states and their sovereignty. Infrastructure development spurs on the construction of housing, manufacturing facilities, and public amenities, and invigorates the labour market. Lots of high-tech know-how is created and introduced during the implementation and design of major infrastructure projects. Russia has gained significant experience and capacity that can be used outside the country and can successfully compete with the largest international conglomerates. Which areas of infrastructure construction have generated the most impressive results? What prospects exist for the development of railway, road, terminal, and port infrastructure? What challenges do Russia and builders face in these areas in the East? What technological solutions could be of interest to other countries, particularly in the context of Eurasian integration? How should the government, companies, and financial institutions collaborate to achieve the best results?

Moderator:
Elina Tikhonova — Anchor, RBC

Speakers:
Nikolay Valuev — First Deputy Chairman of the Committee of the State Duma of the Russian Federation on Ecology and Environmental Protection
Aleksey Krapivin — Chief Executive Officer, NPS Group of Companies
Vitaliy Sergeychuk — Member of the Management Board, VTB Bank
Nikolay Tsekhomskiy — First Deputy Chairman – Member of the Board, VEB.RF

Cooperation between Russia and China is expanding. The transformation of the global market situation opens up new areas for this cooperation, creating space for the implementation of joint projects. Emerging barriers are rapidly turning into opportunities thanks to the efforts of interested institutions and business communities of the two countries.The steady increase in trade and economic turnover between Russia and China brings the currently lagging potential of investment cooperation and its practical aspects to the forefront. The key task is to ensure a stable flow of investments in both directions, primarily in the hi-tech sector. The creation of joint ventures and cross-border scientific and technological innovation zones, transfer of technologies and the exchange best investment practices for the development of Russia and China are issues that could serve as the focus of Russia–China bilateral cooperation in the coming years. Participants in the session will give their expert opinions on a number of issues: What initiatives can be launched to strengthen investment cooperation between Russia and China? What factors and challenges are slowing down the pace of practical interaction between the two sides? What mechanisms and infrastructure elements can be put in place to facilitate investment flows between Russia and China? What is the future of the tech sector in Russia–China relations? And what are the main areas of joint development in this field?

Moderators:
Zhou Liqun — Chairman, Union of Chinese Entrepreneurs in Russia
Alexey Maslov — Director, Institute of Asian and African Studies, Lomonosov Moscow State University

Speakers:
Olga Basha — Senior Vice President, Head of International Settlements Development Department, VTB Bank
Artem Zasurskiy — Vice President for International Development, JSFC Sistema
Alexander Ivlev — Co-Chairman of the Executive Committee, Foreign Investment Advisory Council (FIAC); Advisor, B1 Group
Vladimir Kolmogorov — General Director, En+
Alexey Repik — Chairman, Delovaya Rossiya (Business Russia) (online)
Zhang Hanhui — Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the People's Republic of China to the Russian Federation
Ke Jin — General Director, New New Shipping
Liao Jiasheng — General Director, China Logistics Group
Alexey Chekunkov — Minister of the Russian Federation for the Development of the Far East and the Arctic
Ma Yunxiang — Deputy General Director, China State Shipbuilding Corporation Limited

Front row participants:
Andrey Borodin — Partner for IT and Telecommunications, Ingvarr Advisory and Trust
Li Yongjun — General Director for Russia and CIS, China Faw Group

Spitsbergen is a unique archipelago that lies beyond the Arctic Circle at the entrance to the Arctic Ocean, just 900 kilometres from the North Pole. It is a place where transport routes, ocean currents, different peoples, and various types of lush northern fauna all intersect. Since ancient times, people have hunted for whale meat and walrus tusks here. In the 20th century, it was home to coal mining, but now a new era has arrived, as tourism and science are becoming the most important focuses on the islands. The territory’s international status ensures equal access for all countries that are parties to the treaty on economic and scientific activities on Spitsbergen. Russia has maintained a presence on Spitsbergen since the 16th century, when Russian Pomors, or seasiders, set up regular trading posts. At present, the Russian villages of Pyramiden, Barentsburg, and Grumant are among the island’s tourism pearls and provide basic infrastructure for scientific activities. The region’s uniqueness, international status, as well as the keen interest of all countries in Arctic research offer opportunities to develop an international scientific centre here. What would be the priority focuses of an international scientific centre on the archipelago? How can it attract international partners? What opportunities would a scientific centre in the BRICS space provide? What material resources would be required? What kind of specialists would need to be trained to develop science on Spitsbergen?

Moderator:
Mikhail Kuznetsov — Director, Center for System Transformations, Lomonosov Moscow State University (MSU)

Speakers:
Anurag Bisen — Senior Fellow, Vivekananda International Foundation
Jawahar Bhagwat — Associate Professor of the Department of Regional Studies, International Relations and Political Science, Higher School of Social Sciences and Humanities and International Communication, Northern (Arctic) Federal University named after M.V. Lomonosov (online)
Alexander Makarov — Director, Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute (online)
Ildar Neverov — General Director, State Trust Arktikugol
Maria Nikishova — Head of Sustainable Development, Eastern State Planning Center (FANU Vostokgosplan)

The cooperation format proposed by Russian Prime Minister Yevgeny Primakov in 1998 involving the largest countries of Eurasia (Russia–India–China) would go on to become a key element of the system of international relations and laid the foundations for the formation of BRICS and a number of other international institutions. The geopolitical, geo-economic, resource, technological, and logistics potential of the RIC countries means that they play leading roles in the global economic system. The successful development of the economies of Russia, India, and China in many ways depends on deepening interaction between the three countries in a trilateral format, including the search for synergy and balancing national interests. The entire global economic system is transforming, and new challenges are emerging. And the range of promising areas of cooperation is expanding as a result: the need to develop a system of guaranteed supplies of raw materials and finished products in the context of the sanctions policies is transformed for the RIC countries into the need to create regional Eurasian markets for goods, services, capital, and labour, which, in turn, requires the development of new transport corridors that “sew” the RIC countries and the Greater Eurasian space together; and the growth or international financial instability creates the need to reduce dependence on the U.S. dollar in international settlements and develop joint solutions for regional payment systems within RIC and BRICS. The development of multilateral formats of interaction between RIC and BRICS holds significant potential for all of the countries involved and requires active discussion. How will the RIC format develop in the context of the expansion of the BRICS association and the further movement of the global economy towards multipolarity? How are competitive and cooperative practices balanced out in the process of Russia building trade and investment cooperation with China and India? How is energy cooperation developing between the three countries? What new opportunities for realizing the economic potential of Russia, India, and China will emerge as transport and logistics corridors in the Eurasian region continue to develop? What are the prospects for building a system of international settlements based on national currencies within the BRICS framework given the policies adopted by the countries towards de-dollarization? What new areas of cooperation between Russia, India, and China in science and education are emerging in the context of common energy, technological, and economic challenges?

Moderator:
Igor Maksimtsev — Rector, Saint Petersburg State University of Economics

Speakers:
Stanislav Tkachenko — Expert, Valdai International Discussion Club
Juan Yunsong — Professor, Associate Dean, School of International Studies, Sichuan University (online)

Front row participants:
Evgeniy Griva — Deputy Trade Representative of the Russian Federation in the Republic of India (online)
Tatyana Terentyeva — Rector, Vladivostok State University