The Russian Federation is looking to become one of the five largest economies in the world and to achieve faster economic growth than the current world leaders while preserving macroeconomic stability. In order to do this, Russia will need to establish high-capacity manufacturing and agricultural sectors with a focus on exports. At the same time, it needs to be effectively integrated in the global economy. This will require it to participate in international production chains and adopt a systemic approach to raising efficiency and labour performance using modern technologies. In this session, partners from Europe and the Asia Pacific will exchange views on methods for securing steady growth in labour productivity in order to make the economy more competitive. They will share the results of implementing a culture of lean manufacturing, robotization, and digitalization. Other areas to be covered will include implementing tools to boost the business environment and raise a country’s export potential, reducing red tape, improving the management of human resources, and developing the employment system. Participants will examine national characteristics to consider whether Eastern or Western experience holds the key to achieving these goals. What main aspects and trends should be examined when attempting to identify the ideal combination? What should be done to identify and develop joint projects to impart knowledge and model solutions to essential non-commodity industries in the Far East? What resources are needed to do this?

Moderator:
Alexander Ivlev — CIS Managing Partner, Deputy Regional Accounts Leader for Central, Eastern and Southeastern Europe & Central Asia, EY

Panellists:
Alexander Liberov — President, Siemens in Russia
Katsutoshi Nishimoto — Senior Vice President, Toyota Motor Europe
Maxim Oreshkin — Minister of Economic Development of the Russian Federation
Koh Poh Koon — Senior Minister of State, Ministry of Trade and Industry of the Republic of Singapore
He Zhenwei — Secretary General, China Overseas Development Association

Front row participants:
Pavel Kadochnikov — Vice Rector for Research, Russian Foreign Trade Academy of the Ministry of Economic Development of the Russian Federation
Marc Carena — Director General, McDonald’s in Russia
Sergey Kolesnikov — President, TechnoNICOL Corporation
Vadim Khromov — Deputy Chairman of the Moscow Region Government

Wide-ranging changes are currently being undertaken in the Far East. Following the initiation of the eight-point cooperation plan between Japan and Russia and the implementation of Russian government policy to develop the region, the Far East now serves as a platform to spearhead new Russian-Japanese business development, and this process is set to accelerate with the development of new major sea and land transport corridors. One of these corridors is the Northern Sea Route, through which it is planned to supply valuable Russian energy resources to Asia produced primarily under the Arctic LNG 2 project. Following an agreement reached in June between the leaders of the two countries, a Japanese consortium will have a 10% stake in the project. As a result, the Far East is set to play a vital role as a link between the Arctic and Asia. Joint Russian-Japanese projects have benefited greatly from the Trans Siberian Railway, which connects continental and Pacific Russia, and its importance as a major transport artery is set to grow further. An increase in the efficiency and capacity of the Trans-Siberian Railway, connecting the Far East not only with Moscow, but also with European countries, will contribute to a large-scale increase in passenger and cargo flows across the entire Eurasian continent, which will bring about a radical transformation of the economy of the Far East. What other opportunities can Russian-Japanese business benefit from in the Far East? What new opportunities for bilateral cooperation are opening up for Russia and Japan in the Far East, in view of the wide-ranging changes to the largest transport corridors? What is the current status of new investment projects? What measures could be taken to increase the number of successful projects? How can we establish a constructive and effective dialogue with investors? What is the scope for joint projects in other areas? What challenges will Russian-Japanese business encounter in the Far East under the emerging new conditions?

Moderators:
Teruo Asada — Chair, Japan-Russia Business Cooperation Committee, Japan Business Federation (Keidanren)
Alexey Repik — President, Delovaya Rossiya (Business Russia); Chairman of the Board, Group R-Pharm

Panellists:
Oleg Belozerov — Chief Executive Officer – Chairman of the Executive Board, Russian Railways
Masami Iijima — Representative Director, Chairman of the Board of Directors, Mitsui & Co
Satsuki Katayama — Minister of State for Regional Revitalization; Minister of State for Regulatory Reform; Minister of State for Gender Equality; Minister in charge of Women's Empowerment
Maxim Oreshkin — Minister of Economic Development of the Russian Federation
Nobuhiko Sasaki — Chairman, Chief Executive Officer, Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO)
Hiroshige Seko — Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry of Japan, Minister for Economic Cooperation with Russia
Roman Trotsenko — Founder, Chairman of the Board of Directors, AEON Corporation
Takeshi Uchiyamada — Chairman of the Board of Directors, Toyota Motor Corporation
Yoshiharu Ueki — Chairman of the Board of Directors, Japan Airlines
Nikolay Tsekhomskiy — First Deputy Chairman – Member of the Management Board, State Development Corporation "VEB.RF"
Vladimir Yakushev — Minister of Construction, Housing and Utilities of the Russian Federation

Front row participants:
Anatoly Artamonov — Governor of Kaluga Region
Stanislav Voskresensky — Governor of Ivanovo Region
Koji Omi — Founder, Chairman, Science and Technology in Society Forum (STS forum)
Aleksey Khachay — General Director, Japanese Project Promotion Vehicle in the Far East
Shinji Hirai — Governor of Tottori Prefecture
Petr Shelakhaev — Deputy General Director, Far East and Baikal Region Development Fund

The Ecology national project, which encompasses 11 federal projects, aims to create a new environmental policy, preserve and multiply Russia’s natural resources, and foster a new form of environmental awareness among the public. Five projects covering key areas – waste, air, water, technology, and biodiversity – are being implemented over a six-year period to 2024. How will these projects be implemented in the Far East? What effect will they have on the region’s investment climate? What best international practices could be applied? How will these projects improve living standards in the region?

Moderator:
Maria Morgun — Chief Editor, Live Planet TV; Anchor, Correspondent, FSUE "All-Russia State Television and Radio Broadcasting Company" (FSUE "VGTRK")

Panellists:
Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi — Minister of Climate Change and Environment United Arab Emirates
Zarina Doguzova — Head, Russian Federal Agency for Tourism
Sergei Ivanov — Special Presidential Representative for Environmental Protection, Ecology and Transport
Mikhail Karisalov — Chairman of the Management Board, Chief Executive Officer, SIBUR
Dmitry Kobylkin — Minister of Natural Resources and Environment of the Russian Federation
Alexey Likhachev — Chief Executive Officer, State Atomic Energy Corporation ROSATOM
Anna Popova — Head, Federal Service for Surveillance on Consumer Rights Protection and Human Wellbeing

Front row participants:
Irina Arkhipova — Public Affairs and Communications Director, Coca-Cola HBC Russia
Natalia Gonchar — Vice President for Environmental Health and Safety (EHS), Russian Copper Company
David Geovanis — General Director, Somerset International
Ildar Neverov — Chairman, Committee for Ecology, Delovaya Rossiya (Business Russia)
Ramil Nizamov — Deputy Head, Federal Service for Supervision of Natural Resources
Nikolay Nikolaev — Chairman of the Committee on Natural Resources, Property and Land Relations, State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation
Artem Sedov — General Director, The Big Three (Bolshaya Troyka)
Dmitriy Khan — Deputy General Director, Project Initiatives Development Agency
He Zhenwei — Secretary General, China Overseas Development Association

We have all witnessed how the global information space has turned into an immense battlefield characterized by endless confrontation, geopolitical conflicts, commercial competition, technological rivalry, and ideological showdowns. Economic sanctions and trade wars dominate tabloid front pages and news broadcasts around the world, further stoking international tensions. Clearly, the media is an essential part of these complex geopolitical contentions, with politicians upping the ante and exclusively pursuing their own economic interests. But instead of escalating tensions, are journalists able and willing to take on a peacekeeping role and focus on a positive economic agenda aimed at promoting international cooperation, business development and enhancing the business climate on a regional and global scale?

Moderator:
Stanislav Natanzon — Anchor, Russia 24 TV Channel

Panellists:
Maria Zakharova — Director, Department of Information and the Press, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation
Ninjjamts Luvsandash — General Director, Mongolian National Public Radio and Television
Alexander Machevskiy — Senior Vice President, State Development Corporation "VEB.RF"
Vasily Pushkov — Director of International Cooperation Directorate, Rossiya Segodnya International Information Agency
Rishabh Sethi — Head of International Projects, BRICS International Forum; Member, Friends for Leadership (FFL);
Kartikeya Sharma — Political Editor, Wion News

Last year saw relations between Russia and the Republic of Korea prosper: the President of the Republic of Korea, Moon Jae-in, visited Russia, while its Prime Minister, Lee Nak-yeon, was an honorary guest at the Russian-Korean business dialogue at EEF 2018. The Republic of Korea was selected as partner country at the major industrial exhibition INNOPROM-2018, while the First Conference on Interregional Cooperation between Russia and South Korea was a notable success. South Korean businesses are increasingly interested in Russia’s Far East. The heads of state actively support this strengthening of cooperation between the two countries: at the beginning of 2019, the nations signed a cooperation agreement covering nine areas. The plan outlines collaboration between the two countries in energy, rail, developing the Northern Sea Route, shipbuilding, and agriculture. Additional opportunities for collaboration have also opened up as a result of two new regions joining the Far East, namely the Republic of Buryatia and Transbaikal Territory. As the Far East’s borders have opened up, its business environment has become more attractive for South Korean investors. The time has come to take tangible steps that will help attract South Korean investment to the Far East.

Moderator:
Mikhail Korostikov — Observer of International Divison, Kommersant Publishing House

Panellists:
Grigory Berezkin — Chairman of the Board of Directors, ESN Group
Choi Won Bo — General Director of the Far Eastern Representative Office, Lotte International
Alexandrs Isurins — Chairman of the Executive Board, President, Far Eastern Shipping Company (FESCO)
Lee Kang-deok — Mayor of Pohang Metropolitan City
Alexander Krutikov — Deputy Minister for the Development of the Russian Far East and Arctic
Vladimir Padalko — Vice President, Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation
Alexey Rakhmanov — President, United Shipbuilding Corporation
Park Seung Yong — Senior Executive Vice President, Hyundai Heavy Industries Co
I Hoseok — Vice President, Convergence Medical Institute of Technology, Pusan National University Hospital
Han Jin Hyun — Executive Vice Chairman, Korea International Trade Association (KITA)

Front row participant:
Konstantin Bogdanenko — Acting Vice Governor of Primorsky Territory

The development of the investment climate in the Far East has attracted much attention. The President of Russia has set the regions of the Far Eastern Federal District the task of entering the top 30 regions of the National Investment Attractiveness Rating by 2020. Regional management teams have made significant efforts to reach this goal, while the results of this progress are evident and remain an area of growth. This session will focus on issues surrounding the creation of a favourable business environment and the removal of red tape. How should we respond to requests from entrepreneurs to investment bodies and utility providers for more concrete collaboration? How can we support SMEs, particularly in regions which have recently entered the Far Eastern Federal District? How can we provide SMEs with effective and sought-after financial support? How can we accommodate the growing need for qualified personnel?

Moderator:
Andrey Sharonov — President, Moscow School of Management SKOLKOVO

Panellists:
Nikita Anisimov — Rector, Far Eastern Federal University (FEFU)
Andrei Belousov — Aide to the President of the Russian Federation
Alexander Braverman — General Director, Chairman of the Board, Russian Small and Medium Business Corporation
Alexander Kalinin — President, All-Russian Non-Governmental Organization of Small and Medium-Sized Businesses OPORA RUSSIA
Sergey Katyrin — President, Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation
Boris Titov — Presidential Commissioner of the Russian Federation for the Protection of Entrepreneurs’ Rights
Robert Urazov — Chief Executive Officer, Agency for the Development of Professional Communities and Skilled Workers (WorldSkills Russia)
Svetlana Chupsheva — General Director, Agency for Strategic Initiatives to Promote New Projects
Alexander Shokhin — President, Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs (RSPP)

The Far East and the Russian Arctic are regions of special geostrategic interest to the state, and facilitating social and economic growth has become a priority. These areas have enormous potential in terms of raw hydrocarbons and solid mineral deposits. As mineral mining decreases, the development of the resource base in the Far East and the Arctic can help ensure that Russia’s position as an energy and mineral resources superpower is maintained and strengthened. However, while the mineral resource potential of the Far East and Arctic is significant, the state of geological exploration of these areas is markedly low and inconsistent. A significant increase in geological exploration is required to ensure expanded and expedited reserve replacement of crude minerals and long-term and consistent mining for crude hydrocarbons and solid mineral deposits. The mining and geological industry is experiencing a gradual shift in emphasis to this macroregion. In order to make geological exploration projects more attractive to investors, it is vital to improve the legislative framework, develop infrastructure, and employ new technological solutions that can ensure improved efficiency at all stages of a project. It is also important to increase state funding for geological exploration in subsoil areas offering high potential for strategic types of crude minerals in the Arctic and the Far East. A programme for geological subsoil exploration in the Russian Arctic needs to be drafted which will make provisions for, among others, reserve replacement of crude minerals in the region, the restoration of the Northern Sea Route, and the creation of a high-liquidity fund for subsoil areas, which will lead to rapid social and economic growth in the region. How can the situation be improved? What steps and measures need to be adopted? What stimuli will be most effective in attracting investment to these regions, particularly with regards geological exploration? How interested are businesses in the development of these regions?

Moderator:
Sergey Gorkov — General Director, Chairman of the Management Board, Rosgeologia

Panellists:
Shiv Vikram Khemka — Vice Chairman, SUN Group
Tadashi Maeda — Governor, Japan Bank for International Cooperation
Kirill Molodtsov — Aide to the Chief of Staff, Presidential Executive Office
Vitaliy Nesis — Group Chief Executive Officer, Polymetal
Sergey Nosov — Governor of Magadan Region
Andrey Patrushev — Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Shelf Projects Development, Gazprom Neft
Dmitry Pristanskov — State Secretary – Vice-President, Norilsk Nickel
Andrey Fedotov — Permanent Representative of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) to the President of the Russian Federation; First Deputy Chairman of the Government of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia)
Denis Khramov — First Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Environment of the Russian Federation
Alexey Chekunkov — Chief Executive Officer, Far East and Baikal Region Development Fund

Competition in the global energy arena is becoming more complex. The increasing effectiveness of energy resource production has made more energy reserves cost-efficient, but the slowing global economy and the increasing energy efficiency of all categories of consumers have led to an increase in global market volatility. What is most profitable under these conditions: the selling of energy resources or of complete high-value-added products, including electricity and additional services? It is clear that, across all sectors within the fuel and energy industry, companies’ and countries’ readiness and ability to undergo advanced innovative development and build partnerships has become central to preserving and increasing their share of the market. Of equal importance is the environmental impact of fuels and how they are produced, transported, and used. Taking all of these factors into account is the only way to guarantee today’s companies a place on the energy map of the future. How can the sector’s investment appeal be preserved during this period of uncertainty? Which development strategy should be selected? How can a country maximize the value of their natural resources and intellectual property in the energy sector?

Moderator:
Kirill Dmitriev — Chief Executive Officer, Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF)

Panellists:
Andrey Vagner — Chairman of the Board, Acting General Director, T Plus
Alexander Dyukov — Chairman of the Management Board, Chief Executive Officer, Gazprom Neft
Dmitry Konov — Chairman of the Management Board, SIBUR Holding
Pavel Livinsky — Director General, Rosseti
Alexander Novak — Minister of Energy of the Russian Federation
Liu Zhenya — Chairman, Global Energy Interconnection Development and Cooperation Organization (GEIDCO)

Digital transformation does not mean automating current processes so much as a radical paradigm shift driven by digits. This paradigm shift affects all spheres of life: business, trade, education, public administration, the social sphere, and interpersonal communication. The most striking changes have undoubtedly taken place in trade and retail. The digital revolution presents new challenges and new risks for world trade. Global demographic processes, the unevenness of the digital transformation, and the mismatch between regulatory practices and the physical infrastructure on the one hand, and the level of digital development on the other hand, are driving the global geo-economic centre’s shift to Asia, the oligopolization of trade between internet traffic owners, the denationalization of trade, and a sharp increase in global competition. In the age of digital transformation, the industrial economy is being replaced with a digital one. If, with the advent of factories, the possibility of creating a standardized product became revolutionary, the main trend today is customization, creation of demand, and one’s own niche against a background of abundance. How will world trade look in the future, and what are the key trends in digital transformation? What place should Russia occupy in the ongoing transformation processes in international trade? What needs to be done by the government and development institutions to promote next-generation services and create the requisite conditions for Russian producers to participate in the global digital economy?

Moderator:
Andrey Slepnev — Chief Executive Officer, Russian Export Center

Panellists:
Maxim Akimov — Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation
Ekaterina Grishkovets — Vice President, Far Eastern Shipping Company (FESCO)
Viktor Evtukhov — State Secretary – Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation
Pavel Kadochnikov — Vice Rector for Research, Russian Foreign Trade Academy of the Ministry of Economic Development of the Russian Federation
Boris Kim — Chairman of the Board of Directors, Qiwi
Dmitry Maksimenko — Executive Director, Innosoft
Veronika Nikishina — Member of the Board, Minister in Charge of Trade, Eurasian Economic Commission
Nikolai Podguzov — General Director, Russian Post
Anatoly Popov — Deputy Chairman of the Executive Board, Head of Corporate Investment Business, Sberbank
Sha Tao — Chief Executive Officer, Epinduo

Front row participant:
Marc Carena — Director General, McDonald’s in Russia

The rapidly changing economy is creating new challenges for the education system. A school leaver must be prepared for the ever-transforming labour market, for the need to acquire new knowledge and skills throughout his lifetime. First of all, this will require greater personalization of the learning process, thereby enabling a student to focus on areas in which he is strongest and most interest in. Secondly, the development of soft skills will become increasingly important, as will preparing a pupil to adapt to uncertain situations. Digital technologies can potentially help achieve these goals. This panel session will examine how digitization can help improve education and tackle the risks that may be encountered along the way.

Moderator:
Herman Gref — Chief Executive Officer, Chairman of the Executive Board, Sberbank

Panellists:
Pavel Zenkovich — First Deputy Minister of Enlightenment of the Russian Federation
Elena Kazakova — Director, St. Petersburg University Institute of Pedagogy; Academic Advisor, Platforma Novoy Shkoly (New School Platform) NPO
Tatyana Kiseleva — Director, Tekhnichesky (Technical) Lyceum, Vladivostok
Elena Kharisova — Deputy Vice President for Academic Affairs, Far Eastern Federal University (FEFU)
Natalya Chebotar — Director of Strategy, Yandex.Education

The Far Eastern Hectare programme has enabled citizens to easily obtain land in the region online. As of mid-2019, more than 134,000 applications had been filed and more than 53,000 gratuitous use agreements had been signed. However, in order to develop these land plots, people need money to build homes, install infrastructure, and acquire technical equipment to start developing their plots. What financial tools can be used to develop the Far Eastern hectare? What state support measures are most effective? How can we stimulate the development of these plots?

Moderator:
Tatyana Naumova — Project Manager, NTV Channel

Panellists:
Movses Barseghyan — Chief Executive Officer, Innovation Euro-Asian Trade House
Lev Volkov — Chief Executive Officer, Samberi Retail Chain
Mikhail Petrov — Acting Vice Governor of Primorsky Territory
Grigoriy Smolyak — Director, Department of Human Сapital and Territorial Development, Ministry for the Development of the Russian Far East
Sergei Khovrat — General Director, Agency for the Development of Human Capital in the Far Eastern Federal District

Front row participants:
Nikolay Nikolaev — Chairman of the Committee on Natural Resources, Property and Land Relations, State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation
Sergei Surovtsev — Recipient of a Far Eastern Hectare
Mikhail Utrobin — Recipient of a Far Eastern Hectare

The development of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) is a key to accelerating economic growth in the Russian Far East. Today, the sector employs approximately 20% of those living in the Far East. The government is taking steps to stimulate business activity and support enterprising individuals who have decided to start their own businesses. The conditions for attracting financing for small enterprises in the Russian Far East are more favourable than the national average. However, despite these efforts, the number of new enterprises continues to fall. Small businesses are also finding it difficult to sell their products and services on the domestic and foreign market. The unique difficulties faced by small and medium-sized enterprises seeking to enter foreign markets means that SMEs require additional attention and special support. In order to increase exports by SMEs, it is particularly important to effectively implement regional export standards and create a consolidated export promotion system. How much will these measures contribute to the goals of increasing the share of small businesses in the economy by 2024 from 22% to 32.5% of GDP and their share of exports to 10%? What can be done to increase the number of people involved in the SME sector, reduce red tape, and create an integrated system for supporting small businesses? How can the creation of new enterprises and startups be simplified, making businesses in the Far East truly competitive?

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

Panellists:
Alexander Braverman — General Director, Chairman of the Board, Russian Small and Medium Business Corporation
Vadim Zhivulin — Deputy Minister of Economic Development of the Russian Federation
Andrey Slepnev — Chief Executive Officer, Russian Export Center
Xue Xulou — Chairman, Association of Heilongjiang Province Entrepreneurs
Konstantin Chekmyshev — Deputy Head, Federal Tax Service of the Russian Federation

Front row participants:
Vyacheslav Arutyunyan — Acting Chairman of the Management Board, Orient Express Bank
Konstantin Bogdanenko — Acting Vice Governor of Primorsky Territory
Dmitry Golovanov — Chairman of the Board, Member of the Supervisory Board, SME Bank
Alexey Gorodkov — Director, Ecoresursy Primorya
Andrey Griciuc — Partner, Head of Regional Development, KPMG in Russia and the CIS
Denis Gros — Managing Partner, DA! Development Group; Executive Director, Avangard Industrial Park
Marina Zhunich — Director for Government Relations, Google Russia
Kirill Kamenev — Managing Director of Investment Department, Far East and Baikal Region Development Fund
Maxim Lubomudrov — Deputy Chairman of the Board, Russian Agricultural Bank
Anatoly Popov — Deputy Chairman of the Executive Board, Head of Corporate Investment Business, Sberbank
Alexander Shumatov — General Director, Children’s Health Centre

Cities in the Far East are in need of transformation and modernization. A comfortable living environment is key to keeping people in the Far East. People need opportunities for self-development and leisure activities, to raise and educate children, and to open a business. The entire construction industry of the Far East needs to be overhauled in order to give Far Eastern cities a modern look. How can we alter the appearance of cities in the Far East? What solutions should be implemented first and foremost? What does the city of the future look like? What forms of state support are needed for the construction industry to properly function in the Far East? Can AI technology be used to create cities of the future?

Moderator:
Vasily Savin — Partner, Head of Power and Utilities, KPMG in Russia and the CIS

Panellists:
Lev Gorilovskiy — President, Polyplastic Group
Mikhail Grudinin — President, Giprogor Project City Planning Institute of Spatial Modelling and Development
Nikolay Nikolaev — Chairman of the Committee on Natural Resources, Property and Land Relations, State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation
Artem Sedov — General Director, The Big Three (Bolshaya Troyka)
Denis Tikhonov — Minister of the Moscow Government; Head of the Department of Economic Policy and Development of the City of Moscow
Roberto Cialone — Director, AECOM
Valery Shorzhin — Member of the Management Board, Vice President for Cloud and Digital Solutions, MTS

The list of investment projects being implemented by Russia and India in the Russian Far East is gradually expanding. The first investment project implemented by an Indian company in the Russian Far East was launched in 2017 and consists of a precious stone cutting and polishing factory in the Free Port of Vladivostok. A total of over USD 7.1 million was invested in the project. In 2019, the Russian Far East saw the launch of a second precious stone cutting and polishing project with USD 5 million in investment. Work is under way on a major Indian project in Kamchatka Territory to develop a coal deposit. An estimated USD 986 million has been invested in that project. India’s interest in the Far East is gaining momentum. In 2019, Vladivostok was visited by a large Indian delegation led by the Indian Minister of Commerce and Industry. This was the largest delegation that the country has ever to Russia ever. Members of the delegation included chief ministers from the Indian states of Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Gujarat, and Goa and representatives from over 100 Indian companies. The most promising sectors for cooperation include mining, petrochemicals, timber processing, and agribusiness. There is also significant potential and mutual interest in cooperation in medicine, education, tourism, and IT in the Russian Far East. Russia and India continue to discuss the possibility of implementing joint projects in the Russian Far East. What new projects funded by Indian capital are planned for the Far East? What instruments and mechanisms will facilitate this development? What previously untapped sectors have potential for cooperation, and how can cooperation be fostered further?

Moderator:
Shiv Vikram Khemka — Vice Chairman, SUN Group

Panellists:
Sergey Gorkov — General Director, Chairman of the Management Board, Rosgeologia
Dmitry Kobylkin — Minister of Natural Resources and Environment of the Russian Federation
Anil Kumar Jha — Chairman of the Board of Directors, Managing Director, Coal India Limited
Leonid Petukhov — Chief Executive Officer, Far East Investment and Export Agency
Sandeep Somany — President, Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry
Sergey Tyrtsev — First Deputy Minister for the Development of the Russian Far East and Arctic
Darshan Hiranandani — Managing Director, Chief Executive Officer, H-Energy Private
Anna Tsivileva — Chairman of the Board of Directors, Kolmar Group

Front row participants:
Anton Zamkov — General Director, RT-Invest Transport Systems; Director, Digital Transport and Logistics Association
Rajesh Kothari — General Director, M. Suresh Vladivostok
Vsevolod Rozanov — Managing Partner, Sistema
Igor Rotenberg — Investor
Kirill Tsarev — Vice President, Director of Engineering Customers Department, Sberbank

When implementing projects in the Far East, business has encountered a lack of specialists in the required professions. At the same time, only a little more than 50% of graduates from secondary specialized educational institutions are gainfully employed. Half of school leavers in the Far East go to study outside their region, and many of them never come back. The general education system is plagued by ageing buildings and a lack of teachers in rural areas. How can the quality of general education in the Far East be quickly improved? What challenges should the higher and secondary special education system tackle? What kinds of human resources and professions do businesses in the Far East need? How can we get school leavers to study at universities in the Far East and increase the ratings of universities? What forms of government support will encourage graduates in the Far East to remain? How should we launch a system to support talented youth in the Far East and prevent a brain drain abroad?

Moderator:
Andrey Sharonov — President, Moscow School of Management SKOLKOVO

Panellists:
Marina Dedyushko — Deputy Minister for the Development of the Russian Far East
Pavel Zenkovich — First Deputy Minister of Enlightenment of the Russian Federation
Artem Levin — General Director, Management Company Kolmar
Andrey Leifa — Acting Rector, Amur State University
Alexey Ponomarenko — Head of Engineering Competencies Development Office, Rosatom Academy
Vladimir Solodov — Chairman of the Government of Sakha Republic (Yakutia)
Robert Urazov — Chief Executive Officer, Agency for the Development of Professional Communities and Skilled Workers (WorldSkills Russia)
Petr Shchedrovitskiy — Member of the Management Board, North-West Foundation Center for Strategic Research

Improving the quality of Russia’s national jurisdiction, along with enhancing the level of judicial protection when settling commercial and investment disputes, is paramount to creating a favourable investment climate and developing the economy as a whole. The legal system must meet the challenges of the times. The global community has developed new and better ways to settle legal disputes and regulate business. It has also created special regimes to attract investors. We must clearly understand what actions need to be taken so that the mechanisms used to grant preferences or benefits are effective and accessible to the business community. How can we overcome the flaws of national jurisdiction? How should we take into account best practices to attract foreign investment and protect intellectual property? What legal incentives can be used to bring back the capital that has flowed out of the country, as well as entrepreneurs who have changed their tax residency?

Moderator:
Stanislav Alexandrov — Managing Director – Chief of Staff, Member of the Board, Association of Lawyers of Russia

Panellists:
Igor Drozdov — Chairman of the Board, Skolkovo Foundation
Alexander Konovalov — Minister of Justice of the Russian Federation
Aleksey Serko — State Secretary, Deputy Minister of the Russian Federation for Civil Defence, Emergencies and Elimination of Consequences of Natural Disasters
Boris Titov — Presidential Commissioner of the Russian Federation for the Protection of Entrepreneurs’ Rights
Roman Trotsenko — Founder, Chairman of the Board of Directors, AEON Corporation
Yury Chayka — Prosecutor General of the Russian Federation
Wenhua Shan — Dean, MoE Chair Professor of Law, School of Law, School of International Education, Xi’an Jiaotong University (XJTU)

Front row participants:
Elena Bezdenezhnykh — Vice President for Regional Policy and Government and Administration Relations, RUSAL
Dmitriy Dyakin — Partner, Egorov Puginsky Afanasiev & Partners; Deputy Chairman of the pPesidium, Arbitration Centre, Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs (RSPP)
Kirill Udovichenko — Partner, Monastyrsky, Zyuba, Stepanov & Partners
Alexey Chichkanov — First Vice President, Gazprombank

The global emergence of the digital economy is transforming the institution of governance around the world. Digitalization is a key theme in the transformation of governance and the provision of public services. Many countries, including Russia, have a plan to improve governance through the introduction of digital technologies. The experience of other countries shows how governments collect and process large amounts of data using new digital technologies. This work has resulted in the creation of new products and services that are in high demand among society, business, and governments. Governments play a key role alongside high-tech businesses in establishing a digital economy and ensuring a country attains a leading position. What strategic national projects exist for building a digital state to improve the quality of people’s lives and businesses? What factors are driving and hindering development in the race for high technologies in governance? What public services will be in demand among citizens and the business community in the new technological era?

Moderator:
Yermolai Solzhenitsyn — Senior Partner, McKinsey & Company

Panellists:
Maxim Akimov — Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation
Alexander Vedyakhin — First Deputy Chairman of the Executive Board, Sberbank
Alexey Kornya — President, MTS
Aysen Nikolaev — Head of Sakha Republic (Yakutia)
Mikhail Oseevskiy — President, Chairman of the Management Board, Rostelecom
Maxim Parshin — Deputy Minister of Digital Development, Communications and Mass Media of the Russian Federation
Nikolai Podguzov — General Director, Russian Post
Maxim Topilin — Minister of Labour and Social Protection of the Russian Federation
Tharman Shanmugaratnam — Senior Minister, Coordinating Minister for Social Policies of the Republic of Singapore
Alexander Shokhin — President, Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs (RSPP)

Front row participants:
Aleksandr Pronyushkin — Member of the Committee on Economic Policy, Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation
Oleg Fomichev — Director for Strategic Planning and Development, ComplexProm
Savva Shipov — Deputy Minister of Economic Development of the Russian Federation

In August 2019, a strategy for the development of tourism in the Russian Federation by 2035 was approved. Its implementation plan outlines measures to be taken on statutory regulation in the industry as well as on organizing a management system and providing state support to boost tourism. The latter will be largely guided by a federal project to develop domestic and inbound tourism in the Russian Federation by 2024. Defining priority territories and developing them via a cluster approach will be one of the main ways in which the country will be able to increase exports of tourism-based services. Optimal approaches for the use of land and sites of state importance, including cultural heritage sites, will be established using a smart management model which will create tourist recreational clusters. The renewed strategy to develop Russky Island, alongside Kronstadt, will act as pilot projects for the use of smart management models to implement integrated territorial development projects with the aim of developing tourism. What new forms of state support will be aimed at developing tourist zones and territories in the Far Eastern Federal District? What will attract foreign investors? Public-private partnership in the tourism industry: which steps are businesses expecting the government to take to facilitate their involvement in similar projects?

Moderator:
Andrey Sokolov — Deputy Director General, TASS Russia

Panellists:
Alexis Delaroff — Chief Operating Officer, Accor New East Europe
Marika Korotaeva — Co-Organizer, Project Kronstadt. Fort Island
Evgeny Popov — Deputy Chairman of the Board, Gazprombank
Yury Saprykin — Vice President for Regional and International Development, Skolkovo Foundation
Oleg Teplov — Chief Executive Officer, VEB Innovation
Andrey Fedotov — Permanent Representative of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) to the President of the Russian Federation; First Deputy Chairman of the Government of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia)
Vera Shcherbina — First Vice Governor of Primorsky Territory
Irina Yarovaya — Deputy Chairman of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation

Front row participants:
Raymond Abu Fadel — Regional Director for Russia, AECOM
Movses Barseghyan — Chief Executive Officer, Innovation Euro-Asian Trade House
Andrey Baryshnikov — Director, Information and Analytical Centre for the Support of Reserve Management and Studies
Alexey Kalachev — Chief Executive Officer, Russia Convention Bureau
Aslan Kanukoev — Acting General Director, Corporation for Far East Development
Ekaterina Pronicheva — Chairperson, Moscow Tourism Committee
Olga Tkacheva — Deputy General Director for Strategic Development and Marketing, Flotiliya
Ksenia Shoygu — Member, Kronstadt Development Working Group

The agricultural industry in the Far Eastern Federal District has benefited from the substantial land resources offered by the region. These include more than 4 million hectares of arable land, 1.4 million hectares of fallow land, and proximity to the markets of East and Southeast Asia, which together have a population of more than 2.5 billion. In terms of production and export, agricultural goods make up a crucial sector for the Russian Far East. The value of agricultural goods produced in the region in 2018 was estimated at RUB 234 billion, or 5% of Russia’s total. In order to reach the target of USD 45 billion worth of exports per year by 2024, and also to reduce the Far East’s food dependency, the aforementioned available land resources need to be fully leveraged. What needs to be done to cultivate all potential land? How can barriers currently hindering agricultural exports be removed in order to meet international trade targets? What pathways exist to solving issues related to transportation, storage, and transhipment of agricultural products? What projects will be able to claim immediate support from the government? What products will be most in demand on the domestic and international markets? What kind of environment needs to be created in the Russian Far East for investors and trading partners from the Asia Pacific? What can be done to build effective sales channels to Asia-Pacific markets for goods produced in the Far East?

Moderator:
Ilya Strokin — Director of the Agribusiness Center of Excellence, KPMG in Russia and the CIS

Panellists:
Irina Zhachkina — Member of the Board, First Deputy Chairman of the Board, Russian Agricultural Bank
Eduard Zernin — Deputy General Director, United Grain Company; Executive Director, Russian Union of Grain Exporters
Sergey Lebedev — Director for Government Relations, Alibaba Russia
Sergey Levin — Deputy Minister of Agriculture of the Russian Federation
Vadim Moshkovich — Chairman of the Board of Directors, Rusagro
Alexander Sarapkin — General Director, Amuragrocenter
Yu Xubo — President, COFCO
Ali Uzdenov — Managing Partner, JSFC Sistema; Chairman of the Board of Directors, Steppe Agroholding;
Nikolay Kharitonov — Chairman of the Committee for Regional Policy and Issues of the North and Far East, State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation

Front row participant:
Aidemir Usakhov — Member of the Executive Board, Vice President of Railway Division, Far Eastern Shipping Company (FESCO)

The Russian Arctic comprises 9 regions that generate over 10% of Russian GDP and 20% of national exports. Its growth has become a geo-strategic priority. A special system for managing the development of the Russian Arctic was created in 2019. It has two goals: to ensure that the enormous economic potential of the area is utilized, and to improve the quality of life of the 2.5 million people who live there to at least the average national level. A new strategy for the development of the Arctic to 2035 is currently being prepared. Which legislative gaps must be filled in order to expedite economic and social development in the Russian Arctic? The new Arctic investor preference regime: what is the current regulation stage? What is required to achieve steady growth in the number of small and medium-sized enterprises? What can be done to accelerate the implementation of innovations that the Arctic needs? Which promising projects can help promote advanced regional development? Which international geo economic initiatives are bringing about positive change in the Arctic?

Moderator:
Denis Kravchenko — Deputy Chairman of the Committee on Economic Policy, Industry, Innovative Development and Entrepreneurship, State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation

Panellists:
Aleksander Akimov — Deputy Chair of the Committee on Federal Structure, Regional Policy, Local Government and Northern Affairs, Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation
Dmitry Artyukhov — Governor of Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Region
Alexander Krutikov — Deputy Minister for the Development of the Russian Far East and Arctic
Dmitry Pristanskov — State Secretary – Vice-President, Norilsk Nickel
Alexey Rakhmanov — President, United Shipbuilding Corporation
Vyacheslav Ruksha — Deputy Director General – Director for the Northern Sea Route Directorate, State Atomic Energy Corporation ROSATOM

Front row participants:
Sergey Zhigarev — Chairman of the Committee on Economic Policy, Industry, Innovative Development and Entrepreneurship, State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation
Mikhail Slipenchuk — General Director, Investment Financial Company Metropol
Olga Surikova — Head of Far East Practice, KPMG in Russia and the CIS

The digital economy radically transforms our public relations values. The Fourth Industrial Revolution has already affected the people`s daily lives: mobile payments, self-driving cars, branchless banks and digital identification are inevitably changing our perception of values in the business and private life. The information "extraction" becomes more in demand than the extraction of oil, while the use of personal data for various purposes, including criminal ones, is now extremely easy to access. How humans are going digital in the 21st century, and why every organization must reassess its business processes in order to survive in a new competitive environment? How to live and prosper in the ValueWeb era, and where the digital revolution is heading now? Why do smartphones change our values? What is the role of a human in the context of comprehensive automation?

Panellist:
Chris Skinner — Chairman, The Financial Services Club

Building a digital state is one of the key priorities of Russia today and one of the most popular topics at the forum. Our country has traditionally been and remains among the leaders in the use of mobile and digital services. How to maintain this leadership on the verge of a new technological revolution, which speed knows no analogues in history? What technological trends will become decisive on the road to building a digital state? How to direct AI, Big Data and other advanced solutions for the benefit of society and mitigate possible risks? How to avoid a brain drain and create conditions for the best minds of the country to remain in Russia and together with leading technology companies to create breakthrough innovative solutions that are competitive on the international arena?

Panellist:
Alexey Kornya — President, MTS

Becoming one of the five largest economies by 2024 is not just Russia’s primary national socioeconomic development goal, it is also a guarantee that incomes and quality of life throughout the country will resume their growth. In order to achieve this goal, the Russian economy must grow at a rate faster than the global average. Remarkably, this can be done without having to rely on commodity exports due to the development of other economic sectors that will result in Russia having one of the world’s most developed and modern economies. How can this growth potential be fulfilled? Are there any international or Russian experiences related to the implementation of active stimulus policies that could be applied in Russia today? This goal is especially relevant for the Russian Far East, given that the National Programme for the Development of the Russian Far East to 2035 has set a target growth rate of 6% for the region.

Moderator:
Boris Titov — Presidential Commissioner of the Russian Federation for the Protection of Entrepreneurs’ Rights

Panellists:
Bambang Brodjonegoro — Minister of National Development Planning of the Republic of Indonesia
Hoang Ve Dung — Chairman of the Board of Directors, Duc Giang Corporation
Oleg Deripaska — Founder, RUSAL; Founder, Volnoye Delo Foundation
Andrey Klepach — Chief Economist, State Development Corporation VEB.RF
Alexander Konovalov — Minister of Justice of the Russian Federation
Shiv Vikram Khemka — Vice Chairman, SUN Group
Vadim Moshkovich — Chairman of the Board of Directors, Rusagro
Mikhail Shamolin — President, Chairman of the Board, Segezha Group

Front row participants:
Anastasiya Alekhnovich — Head, Institute for the Economy of Growth, Stolypin P.A.
Sergey Kolesnikov — President, TechnoNICOL Corporation
Vadim Khromov — Deputy Chairman of the Moscow Region Government

Considering the current changes in the structure of the global economy, a country’s involvement in global trade is largely determined by its participation in global value chains (GVCs). There has been a rapid increase in the proportion of intermediate goods traded in the global economy. Industries are moving into a high-tech, knowledge-intensive sphere with a growing share of service sectors. The way added value is distributed geographically within global production chains has changed, as the Asia Pacific comes to play an increasingly important role in this process. Given the Far East’s geographical proximity to Asia-Pacific nations that are actively involved in global value creation processes, it is important to create an effective strategy for companies in the region to participate in GVCs, as well as consider the conditions and mechanisms needed to implement it. This will include developing cooperation with the key foreign countries of the region. Success will require an optimal combination of domestic policies promoting the effective integration of Russia into GVCs with the participation of Asia Pacific countries, as well as increasing cooperation and joint projects (including of an integrative nature) that are capable of maximizing mutually beneficial results from involvement in shared GVCs. Modern trends in the development of global trade: what are the effects of globalization on trade today? What is the Russian Far East's role and place in modern international trade? What are the parameters for the Far East’s participation in global and regional value chains? How can the margins of participating in these chains be increased? What strategy should the region take to effectively participate in global trade and GVCs? What factors affect the formation of stable and mutually beneficial GVCs? How can vertical growth via GVCs be achieved? How do trade policies affect the formation of GVCs and how can policy instruments be used effectively? What benefits can be expected from trade agreements, including free-trade agreements, in the context of increasing the effectiveness of GVC participation?

Moderator:
Alexander Daniltsev — Director, Institute for Trade Policy, National Research University Higher School of Economics

Panellists:
Alexey Kozhevnikov — Senior Vice President, Russian Export Center
Dmitry Kudinov — General Director, Mazda Sollers Manufacturing Rus
Timur Maksimov — Deputy Minister of Economic Development of the Russian Federation
Veronika Nikishina — Member of the Board, Minister in Charge of Trade, Eurasian Economic Commission
Vladimir Salamatov — General Director, International Trade and Integration Research Centre
Mikhail Sutyaginskiy — Chairman of the Board of Directors, Titan Group of Companies
He Zhenwei — Secretary General, China Overseas Development Association

Front row participants:
Vadim Vetolskiy — Head of the Branch in Vladivostok, Fesco Integrated Transport
Alexey Rakhmanov — President, United Shipbuilding Corporation
Aleksey Rybnikov — Director of Analytics Center for CIS, EY
Anna Tsivileva — Chairman of the Board of Directors, Kolmar Group

The Third Russia–ASEAN Summit took place in November 2018 in Singapore, and saw Russia and ASEAN develop relations to the point of forming a strategic partnership, which was enshrined in the signing of a statement. However, there currently exist a number of barriers hindering the development of economic cooperation, including insufficient integration in the Asia Pacific’s logistics network, lack of direct flights between large Russian cities and ASEAN countries, and low levels of awareness of each other’s business environment. Nevertheless, trade, economic, and investment cooperation can be increased through implementing joint economic projects which encompass priority development areas in the Far East and Russia overall, collaborating in building infrastructure, working together in high-tech and innovation, and bolstering economic security. What will be the new focal points for cooperation in terms of trade and investment between Russia and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations? What prospects for cooperation does the digital economy hold, specifically for integrating projects to create a network of smart cities? Integrating investment flow instruments and mechanisms from ASEAN into Russia: how can we intensify the process of investment cooperation?

Moderator:
Sergey Katyrin — President, Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation

Panellists:
Bambang Brodjonegoro — Minister of National Development Planning of the Republic of Indonesia
Nikolay Volobuev — Deputy General Director, Russian Technologies State Corporation
Aleksey Pakhomenko — Deputy General Director for Programs and Strategy, Russian Helicopters
Leophairatana Prachai — Chief Executive Officer, Chairman of Executive Committee, TPI Polene Public Company Limited
Winnie Teo — General Director, Progression Engineering (S) Pte Ltd
Nguyen Thanh Hung — Chairman of the Board of Directors, SOVICO Groups

Front row participant:
Maxim Kobin — Managing Director for Client Work, Russian Export Center

The Far East is a strategically important and priority region for Russia, and the government is paying particular attention to its development. However, the region is currently characterized by a low birth rate and life expectancy, as well as high mortality and outward migration. These issues need to be tackled when implementing the Healthcare and Demography national projects, which aim to raise life expectancy to 78 by 2024 and facilitate a steady and natural increase in the population. Timely access to preventative medicine, remote medical care (including an expansion of the telemedicine network), and public health programmes tailored to the region are all essential to developing the healthcare sector in the Far East. A number of ambitious targets have been set as part of a federal project entitled Strengthening Public Health. Achieving these will require input from government bodies, preventative medicine and public health centres, and the public at large. A number of pilot regions have been selected in the Far East for this project. What resources will be needed to increase the number of years of healthy life in the Far East? How should responsibility for funding best be spread across the government, business, and the local population? How might new technologies reshape healthcare in the Far East? Are the measures set out in national and federal projects sufficient to increase life expectancy and population figures in such a challenging region?

Moderator:
Georgy Kaptelin — Deputy Editor-in-Chief, TASS Russia

Panellists:
Dorit Nitzan — Acting Regional Emergency Director for the European Region, Health Emergencies Programme, World Health Organization
Maxim Protasov — Head, Russian Quality System (Roskachestvo)
Alexey Repik — President, Delovaya Rossiya (Business Russia); Chairman of the Board, Group R-Pharm
Veronika Skvortsova — Minister of Health of the Russian Federation
Maxim Topilin — Minister of Labour and Social Protection of the Russian Federation

Front row participants:
Oleg Apolikhin — Director, N.A. Lopatkin Research Institute of Urology and Interventional Radiology, a branch of the National Medical Research Centre for Radiology of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation
Elena Zhidkova — Head, Central Healthcare Directorate, Russian Railways
Viktor Subbotin — Junior Partner, Bain & Company
Valentin Shumatov — Rector, Pacific State Medical University

The regulatory sandbox is a type of legislative regime, enabling test runs of initiatives whose implementation is made difficult or even impossible due to regulatory barriers. A number of leading countries are already using regulatory sandboxes to develop the optimal regulatory environment for the digital economy in the shortest amount of time – something that is impossible using conventional measures. Sandboxes are an effective response to both rapidly developing technologies and solutions, and to lack of clarity when it comes to regulating innovations without having analysed the market behaviour of the proposed product or service. Currently, regulatory sandboxes can be focused on a single economic sector (e.g. fintech sandboxes) or a number of industries in the digital economy, which is known as a universal regulatory sandbox. How do regulatory sandboxes currently function? What are the prospects for this type of legal experiment?

Moderator:
Savva Shipov — Deputy Minister of Economic Development of the Russian Federation

Panellists:
Alexander Vedyakhin — First Deputy Chairman of the Executive Board, Sberbank
Igor Drozdov — Chairman of the Board, Skolkovo Foundation
Ruslan Sarkisov — Chief Executive Officer, Far East High Technologies Fund
Chris Skinner — Chairman, The Financial Services Club
Vladimir Solodov — Chairman of the Government of Sakha Republic (Yakutia)
Maria Shklyaruk — Chief Executive Officer, Center for Advanced Governance (CAG); Scientific Director, Digital Transformation Leadership Training Centre, Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration (RANEPA)

In our modern, globalized world, cutting-edge knowledge and technologies tend to determine all else. Practice has shown that scientific and technological potential is directly proportional to levels of economic development. To states striving to become global innovation leaders, leveraging intellectual resources and developing associated technologies and information bases is a major national objective. Science has become a global factor in social development. Knowledge of this fact has pushed countries seeking to become technological leaders to attract scientists and specialists from other countries and to establish ties with foreign scientific and educational institutions. A critical mass of researchers focused on solving modern problems can only achieved on an international level. Fundamental research requires the accumulation of material and financial resources from various countries and their communities. For this reason, international scientific cooperation on all levels – national and regional, and between organizations, collectives, and researchers – is a logical outcome of human development. The specialization of scientific schools and the historic, natural, climatic, and economic conditions affecting the development of countries and territories has laid the groundwork for effective cooperation which aims to benefit all. This form of international scientific and technological cooperation is helping to maximize economic and sociocultural development, which would otherwise not be attainable using traditional methods without collaboration.

Moderator:
Maxim Safonov — Director, Green Capital Alliance; Professor, Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration (RANEPA)

Panellists:
Pavel Zaytsev — Chief Executive Officer, Science and Innovations
Ray Zimmerman — Founder, SW1 Advisory Partners Limited
Andrey Kaprin — Director, Federal State Budgetary Institution National Medical Research Radiological Centre of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation
Sergey Kobzev — Deputy Chief Executive Officer - Chief Engineer, Russian Railways
Konstantin Markelov — Rector, Astrakhan State University
Ruslan Novikov — General Director, Argumenty I Facty
Aleksey Ozerov — Director, Institute of Volcano Studies and Seismology, Far Eastern Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences
Alexander Sergeev — President, Russian Academy of Sciences

Virtual space has become just another dimension of real space, just like the earth’s surface or its atmosphere. In the coming years, many elements of Eurasia's critical infrastructure will go digital. However, digital construction can turn into a perilous venture if electrical grids, utilities, transport systems, or urban activity are in danger of being sabotaged. With trade and technological wars waged from the outside, there is a need for digital sovereignty and technological independence: any country must be able to control and secure its own digital space and critical infrastructure. This raises questions of shared rules in the digital space and of a unified effort in Eurasia to create a zone of digital trust. What challenges exist on the path towards creating a zone of digital peace and cooperation in the region? What do governments and businesses have to do to create a zone of trust? What partnerships can be formed to achieve this goal? What does Russia have to offer?

Moderator:
Alexey Bobrovsky — Head of the Economic Programme, Russia 24 TV Channel

Panellists:
Andrey Bezrukov — President, Technological Sovereignty Exports Association
Iliya Dimitrov — Digital economy ombudsman
Stanislav Kuznetsov — Deputy Chairman of the Executive Board, Sberbank

The geographical location of the Far East offers it an undeniable competitive advantage: it can attract a significant amount of cargo volume from the Asia-Pacific countries to Europe via the Suez Canal to switch to Russian routes. Despite the considerable growth of transit traffic on the Russian Railways in recent years (just in 2018 transit grew by 25% and amounted to TEU 550,000), this cargo flow along the Trans-Siberian Railway remains insignificant compared to the volumes transported via the Suez Canal. The technological landscape that is currently being created, will help on-going projects in the development of physical infrastructure to ensure reliable and high-quality services. In turn, this will help provide stable traffic volumes across Russia. Global companies have already put forward plans to make all procedures between players on the transport market electronic. Russia has made it a priority for its own companies to be integrated into this process and implement their digital transformation projects, especially considering the Presidential Executive Order to increase the freight traffic transit along the Russian routes fourfold by 2024. How will global technological transformations change the role of transportation routes through the Far East? How can state and business join efforts to accelerate the implementation of electronic document flow along the freight route? What digitalization programmes need to be implemented by both regulatory authorities and business? How could international digitalization practices in transport be applied in Russia?

Moderator:
Pavel Chistyakov — Vice President, Infrastructure Economics Centre

Panellists:
Mikhail Bazhenov — Partner, Capital Projects & Infrastructure, Debt Advisory Leader, PwC Russia
Oleg Belozerov — Chief Executive Officer – Chairman of the Executive Board, Russian Railways
Vladimir Bulavin — Head, Federal Customs Service of the Russian Federation
Anton Zamkov — General Director, RT-Invest Transport Systems; Director, Digital Transport and Logistics Association
Sergei Ivanov — Special Presidential Representative for Environmental Protection, Ecology and Transport
Alexandrs Isurins — Chairman of the Executive Board, President, Far Eastern Shipping Company (FESCO)
Vyacheslav Saraev — Chief Executive Officer, Head of the Executive Board, TransContainer
Isao Takahashi — President, Toyo Trans Inc.
Sergey Shishkarev — President, Delo Group of Companies

Front row participants:
Sergey Zhigarev — Chairman of the Committee on Economic Policy, Industry, Innovative Development and Entrepreneurship, State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation
Andrey Kutepov — Chairman of the Committee on Economic Policy, Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation
Igor Rotenberg — Investor
Dariusz Stefanski — Chief Executive Officer, PCC Intermodal SA

Today, the construction industry, being one of the main drivers of regional development, is faced with the challenge of transforming into an economically effective and competitive economic sector. The processes currently being launched to modernize the construction industry come from Moscow and must be targeted, with consideration given to the unique needs of the regions of the Far Eastern Federal District. The general trend towards the development of modern information technologies and platform solutions, facilitating collective information management and seamless project planning, construction, and operation processes for major construction projects will allow the regions’ unique needs to be taken into account and integrated in the construction industry’s common digital space. Developing the construction industry in the Far East will generate significant investments in fixed assets and support the development of related industries. This should help further unlock the economic potential of the region and increase living standards. Is the Far Eastern Federal District’s construction industry attractive to investors? Improving price setting in construction: how to balance government prices and construction companies’ costs in the Far Eastern Federal District to improve the effectiveness of projects being implemented with government participation? Reforming government construction projects: how can competition in the Russian Far East be increased without harming the industry? Information modelling technologies: a tool for reducing time spent on project planning and project construction costs? Is it possible to create a standardized economically effective project documentation system as a tool for implementing the goals of the National Housing and Urban Environment Project in the Russian Far East? Developing a qualification system in construction: how can we attract head engineers, architects, and finance managers to Far Eastern construction companies, given the changing nature of the construction industry?

Moderator:
Bela Liauv — Special Correspondent, Vedomosti

Panellists:
Yuhang Wang — Vice President, China CAMC Engineering Co., Ltd.
Anton Glushkov — President, National Association of Builders (NOSTROY)
Akira Iwata — Partner, Representative in Russia and CIS, Nomura Research Institute Ltd.
Igor Manylov — Chief Executive Officer, Main Department of State Expertise (Glavgosexpertiza of Russia)
Mikhail Petrov — Acting Vice Governor of Primorsky Territory
Gennadiy Sakharov — Director of Capital Investments, State Construction Supervision and State Expertise, ROSATOM State Atomic Energy Corporation
Hong Ha Pham — Minister of Construction of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam
Vladimir Yakushev — Minister of Construction, Housing and Utilities of the Russian Federation

Front row participants:
Yevgeny Virtser — General Director, INSYSTEMS
Sergey Kolesnikov — President, TechnoNICOL Corporation

Address by President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin

Address by Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi

Address by President of Mongolia Khaltmaagiin Battulga

Address by Prime Minister of Malaysia Mahathir Mohamad

Address by Prime Minister of Japan Shinzo Abe

Moderator:
Sergey Brilev — Anchor, Deputy Director, Russia TV Channel; President, Bering Bellingshausen Institute for the Americas