Full-scale collaboration with ASEAN member states is one of Russia’s foreign policy priorities. This year marks two important anniversaries in the history of cooperation between Russia and ASEAN – 30 years of relations, and 25 years of full-scale dialogue-based partnership. And 2022 is set to be declared the Russia–ASEAN Year of Cooperation in Science and Technology. This initiative by the Russia–ASEAN Business Council will shine the spotlight on science, technology and innovation – areas of keen mutual interest. The sustainable exploitation of natural resources, an unmatched business environment in the Far East, and substantial experience of working successfully with international partners are all factors which offer great prospects for joint ventures. Areas of potential cooperation include energy, agriculture, timber, tourism, the Northern Sea Route, and investment- and tech-related collaboration via the Russky Centre of Scientific and Technological Innovation in Primorye Territory. Continued promotion of the Greater Eurasian Partnership is another key area. Through strengthening regional relations, the initiative will facilitate cooperation in trade, economics, and investment between nations of the EAEU, ASEAN and the SCO, and help the populations of member states to enjoy greater prosperity. What has been achieved over the long period of cooperation in trade, economics, and investment between Russia and ASEAN? What problems and barriers are hindering deeper economic cooperation between Russia and ASEAN’s 10 member states? What are the prospects for cooperation in science and technology? What can be done to boost non-commodity trade between regions of the Far Eastern Federal District and ASEAN member states? To what degree does the Greater Eurasian Partnership dovetail with ongoing dialogue between Russia and ASEAN, and what opportunities might this initiative offer to business?

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

Panellists:
Musa Adnin — Managing Director, Adinin Group of Companies (online)
Quoc Viet Do — Member of the Management Board, Vietnam Businessmen's Association
Sergey Katyrin — President, Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation
Armi Lopez Garcia — Chairperson, Philippine-Russian Business Assembly Inc (online)
Elena Lysenkova — Deputy Head, Federal Agency for Tourism (Rosturizm)
Sergey Machekhin — Deputy General Director Project Engineering and International Cooperation, RusHydro
U Zaw Min Win — President, Union of Myanmar Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry (online)
Winnie Teo — General Director, Progression Engineering (S) Pte Ltd (online)

Video address:
Nguyen Hong Dien — Minister of Industry and Trade of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam

There are thousands and thousands of kilometres between Italy and the Russian Far East. However, this distance shouldn't be an excuse for not developing trade and economic cooperation. It is espe-cially important in the current difficult period, when the economy all over the world is beginning to overcome the pandemic crisis. Right now, every direction and every opportunity is important to re-turn together to stable and sustainable growth, and to create jobs and conditions for social and eco-nomic prosperity for all parties. What areas of interaction are opening up between Italy and Russia's Far East?

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

Panellists:
Alexander Kalinin — President, All-Russian Non-Governmental Organization of Small and Medium-Sized Businesses OPORA RUSSIA
Vladimir Padalko — Vice President, Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation
Rosario Pedicini — General Manager in Tokyo, Intesa Sanpaolo SpA
Giorgio Starace — Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Italian Republic to Japan (online)
Oksana Tarasenko — Corporate Secretary in the Vice President Rank, PJSC Rosneft Oil Company
Antonio Fallico — President, Conoscere Eurasia Association; Chairman of the Board of Directors, Banca Intesa

Front row participants:
Antonello Colussi — President, Danieli Russia; Chairman of the Board of Directors, Danieli Volga
Pavel Serebryakov — Chairman of the Board of Directors, Management Company Slavda
Vittorio Torrembini — President, Association of Italian Entrepreneurs in Russia (GIM Unimpresa)

Video address:
Sandro Bergamo — Managing Director, DKC Group
Pasquale Terracciano — Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Italian Republic to the Russian Federation

As restrictions were imposed in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, so trade and economic cooperation between all nations suffered, including Russia and China. In 2020, trade between the two nations was valued at USD 107.77 billion – a 2.9% decrease compared to the same period the year before. At the same time, however, trade between China and the Far Eastern Federal District was valued at USD 10.8 billion – a 3.3% increase compared to the same period the year before. Even during a pandemic, the foundation built over many years of partnership between the Russian Far East and China meant that a positive trend in cooperation was maintained. Clearly, the potential exists to achieve a great deal more, and new approaches need to be developed accordingly in the new reality. The objective is to turn intentions into tangible results. What industries are becoming increasingly important in terms of investment-related cooperation in the Far Eastern Federal District? Which projects have been designated as priorities, and which require more attention? What steps need to be taken to bring the value of trade between the Russian Far East and China to USD 15 billion by the next meeting of the Russian-Chinese Interparliamentary Committee for Cooperation and the Development of the Far East and Baikal Region of Russia and Northeast China?

Moderators:
Zhou Liqun — President, Elus Union of Chinese Entrepreneurs
Vadim Moshkovich — Chairman of the Board of Directors, Rusagro

Panellists:
Zhu Bixin — Chairman of the Board of Directors, China Chengtong Holdings Group Ltd (online)
Yang Ruobing — Chairman of the Board of Directors, MCC International Corporation (online)
Konstantin Lashkevich — Chief Executive Officer, RFP Group
Dmitry Savenkov — General Director, Legendagro Primomorye LLC
Lu Hao — General Director, KitayStroy LLC
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
Yang Huaiyi — General Director, Branch of Sinopec Overseas Oil and Gas Ltd
Alexey Chekunkov — Minister of the Russian Federation for the Development of the Far East and the Arctic (online)
Yihe Chen — Chairman of the Management Committee, Energy Industry Corporation (online)
Li Shaoshi — General Director, Xinxing Far East Corporation LLC
Andrey Sharonov — President, Moscow School of Management SKOLKOVO
May Yunhun — Chairman of the Board, Country Garden Agricultural Holding; Vice President, Country Garden Group (online)

Front row participant:
Yan Wenbin — Consul General of the People's Republic of China in Vladivostok

Video address:
Zhang Hanhui — Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the People's Republic of China in the Russian Federation

In striving for sustainable economic growth and prosperity across Asia-Pacific, APEC economies assumed that higher education was the main driving force of vibrant markets and solid socio-economic progress for regional prosperity. Thus, APEC’s development as regards education has become of utmost importance in acquiring essential competencies to develop human resources, foster innovation and technology, and enhance employment opportunities.
For ten years, APEC Conference on Cooperation in Higher Education has been committed to strengthening ties between educational institutions of Russia and Asia-Pacific economies. The Conference and Far Eastern Federal University as its key organizer have become a reliable platform for discussing trends and challenges in the development of the regional educational community, while also offering a visionary framework for policymaking.
Participants of the 10th APEC CCHE are invited to contemplate the future of cooperation in higher education in Asia-Pacific and beyond.
Key topics:
• The changing face of higher education: trends, challenges, and determinants of development in Asia-Pacific;
• New and existing frameworks to foster education and lifelong learning;
• APEC education strategies: looking back and moving forward;
• Best educational practices of the decade in APEC economies.

Moderator:
Victoria Panova — Vice-Rector for International Relations, Far Eastern Federal University

Welcome Remarks:
Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana — Executive Secretary, UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) (online)
Galina Karelova — Deputy Chairman of the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation (online)
Alexey Koshel — Acting Rector, Far Eastern Federal University (FEFU)

Panellists:
Nikita Anisimov — Rector, National Research University Higher School of Economics
Kirill Barskiy — Ambassador-at-Large, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation
Nguyen Van Phuc — Deputy Minister of Education and Training of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (online)
Victor Godoy Veiga — Executive Secretary, Ministry of Education of the Federative Republic of Brazil (online)
Luciano Concheiro Borquez — Undersecretary of Higher Education, The Ministry of Education of Mexico (online)
Evgeny Primakov — Head, Federal Agency for the Commonwealth of Independent States Affairs, Compatriots Living Abroad, and International Humanitarian Cooperation (Rossotrudnichestvo)
Christopher Tremewan — Secretary General, Association of Pacific Rim Universities (online)
Valery Falkov — Minister of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation
Kiyoshi Yamada — Rector of Tokai University

The Far Eastern Federal District and the Arctic are among the most vulnerable regions on earth. As well as being characterized by their harsh climate, they are home to indigenous peoples, unique flora and fauna, and a wealth of resources. Consequently, a deliberate and particularly careful approach is required when it comes to local development and protecting each region’s unique heritage for future generations. Leading European and Asian powers are focusing on issues surrounding climate change and the shift to a low-carbon economy. This is in turn opening up new prospects for the Russian Far East and the Arctic. As the potential of the Northern Sea Route is unlocked, so regional opportunities are expanding in terms of shipping and proximity to sales markets. In addition, favourable geographical conditions are paving the way for the regions to become leaders in hydrogen production and renewable energy. At the same time, cutting-edge digital and telecommunications technologies are making business management more efficient with regard to dealing with large distances, energy efficiency, and labour productivity. Could digital and green technologies become new competitive advantages for the Far East and Arctic, and herald a shift away from the regions’ traditional economies? Could the regions attract European investment with the view to exporting to the Japanese, Chinese, and South Korean markets?

Moderator:
Tadzio Schilling — Chief Executive Officer, Association of European Businesses

Panellists:
Alexander Malikov — Vice-President for development, Orange Business Services
Sergey Machekhin — Deputy General Director Project Engineering and International Cooperation, RusHydro
Anton Moskvin — Vice President for Marketing and Business Development, Rusatom Overseas
Edgars Puzo — Chief Executive Officer, Russia and CIS, Atos
Antti Helantera — Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Finland in the Russian Federation
Alexey Chekunkov — Minister of the Russian Federation for the Development of the Far East and the Arctic (online)
Anton Chudaev — General Director in Russia, ROMA S.A.S

Front row participants:
Francois Borgida — Vice President for Russia, TotalEnergies (online)
Denis Butsayev — General Director, Russian Environmental Operator Public Law Company
Yaroslav Gamzikov — General Director in Russia, Smoove
Dmitry Grigoriev — General Director in Russia, E.ON Connecting Energies
Alexis Delaroff — Chief Operating Officer, Accor Russia, Georgia, Ukraine & the CIS (online)
Dmitry Zavgorodniy — Managing director, Member of the Management Board, Hyve Russia
Tore Morten Loeseth — Senior Vice President of International Exploration and Production, Equinor
Pavel Shinsky — General Director, French-Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (online)

India and Russia are strategic partners, and the two nations have set the ambitious goal of increasing trade turnover to USD 30 billion by 2025. What measures need to be taken to achieve this aim? What non-commodity and non energy exports from the Far East and Arctic could play a key role in this regard? What could be done to build upon bilateral cooperation in producing and shipping coking coal? What else needs to be done to expand and boost partnership, and what other areas of the mining industry possess the biggest potential for investment related cooperation in the Russian Far East and Arctic? What are the prospects for increasing cooperation between Russia and India in the field of hydrogen power?

Moderator:
Yuri Levin — Rector, Moscow School of Management SKOLKOVO

Panellists:
Alok Kumar Gupta — Managing Director, Chief Executive Officer, ONGC Videsh Limited
Venkatesh Varma Datla Bala — Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Indian Republic in the Russian Federation
Shri Manoj Jain — Chairman, Managing Director, GAIL (India) Limited
Sergey Machekhin — Deputy General Director Project Engineering and International Cooperation, RusHydro
M. M. Murugappan — Non-Executive Chairman, Murugappa Group (online)
Irina Olkhovskaya — Chief Officer for Seaport and Railway Projects, UMMC
Shri P. Ravendran — Chairman, Chennai Port Trust (online)
Sri Hardip Singh Puri — Minister of Oil and Natural Gas of the Republic of India
Vladimir Sitnov — Senior Vice President, Sberbank
Anna Tsivileva — Chairman of the Board of Directors, Kolmar Group
Uday Shankar — President, FICCI (online)
Nikolay Shulginov — Minister of Energy of the Russian Federation

Front row participant:
Vennelakanti Kalyana Rama — Chairman of the Board of Directors, Managing Director, Container Corporation of India Ltd. (online)

The Russian Far East and Arctic are key regions when it comes to fostering economic relations between Russia and Japan, and serve as an important driver of commerce benefitting both countries. The Far East is a place of regular dialogue, ongoing talks, and cooperation in the social, economic, and cultural sphere. Indeed, it is where Japanese companies are choosing to implement numerous initiatives. The Arctic, meanwhile, is a region possessing great potential for Japan in terms of developing maritime communications, capitalizing on hydrocarbon deposits on the Arctic shelf, increasing offshore operations, and preserving and cultivating marine bioresources. Relations between the Russian Far East and Japan enjoy a special status of sorts, and the objective of both countries is to move these relations to the next level. Could hydrogen power serve as a major new area of bilateral cooperation in the Russian Far East? What needs to be done to encourage Japanese companies to play a part in Sakhalin Region’s hydrogen cluster? Agricultural products produced in the Russian Far East and exported to Japan have a deserved reputation for quality and environmental friendliness, which explains the high level of demand they enjoy in Japan. What products are of particular interest to Japan? What mechanisms should be employed when launching new export-oriented projects with Japanese involvement in the agricultural sector? What needs to be done to launch a regular container line via the Northern Sea Route? What other objectives and new opportunities exist for Russian-Japanese business ventures in the Far East? What new areas of cooperation could be deemed promising? What aims and objectives do Russian-Japanese business ventures in the Far East have in today’s evolving world?

Moderators:
Masami Iijima — Chairman, Japan Association for Trade with Russia and the NIS (ROTOBO); Counselor, Mitsui & Co. Ltd (online)
Roman Trotsenko — Founder, Chairman of the Board of Directors, AEON Corporation

Panellists:
Artem Dovlatov — Deputy Chairman, Member of the Management Board, VEB.RF; General Director, VEB.DV
Fumiya Kokubu — Chairman, Japan-Russian Committee for Economic Cooperation, Federation of Economic Organisations Keidanren; Chairman of the Board of Directors, Marubeni Corporation (online)
Sergey Kolesnikov — Co-owner, Managing Partner, TECHNONICOL Group of companies
Tadashi Maeda — Governor, Japan Bank for International Cooperation (online)
Masayuki Sato — Chairman, Representative Director, Chief Executive Officer, JGC Holdings Corporation (online)
Takeshi Hashimoto — President, Representative Director, Mitsui O.S.K. Lines Ltd (online)
Aleksey Khachay — General Director, Japanese Project Promotion Vehicle in the Far East
Vadim Shvetsov — General Director, Sollers Group

Front row participants:
Irina Olkhovskaya — Chief Officer for Seaport and Railway Projects, UMMC
Roman Chichkanov — Deputy General Director for Investments, Far East and Arctic Development Corporation

Video address:
Hirosi Kajiyama — Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry of Japan
Maksim Reshetnikov — Minister of Economic Development of the Russian Federation (online)

2020 marked the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Russia and South Korea. A slogan was created for the occasion: “Friendship. Trust. Action”. Today, these three words have become a key motif for the business communities of the two nations to move forward. In recent years, Russia and South Korea have injected life into a number of bilateral projects. The Nine Bridges action plan has been adopted and updated, the Russian-Korean Innovation Centre has opened, and an agreement of intent has been signed on the establishment of a South Korean industrial park in Primorye Territory. However, despite these positive steps, the COVID-19 pandemic has posed a major challenge to mutual trade and investment, with global instability and economic volatility continuing to exert pressure. The pandemic has not only underscored the importance of the action plan to implement the Nine Bridges initiative, it has also highlighted the need to develop it further, find new points of growth, and identify promising areas of cooperation. These include medical technology, information and communications technology, the environment, new materials, energy, and biotechnology. What projects and initiatives could give a qualitative boost to bilateral cooperation in the new reality? What mechanisms should the governments of both countries aim to perfect in order to unlock the potential of trade, economic, and investment-related cooperation, and to bolster ties between Russia and South Korea in the post COVID era?

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

Panellists:
Denis Butsayev — General Director, Russian Environmental Operator Public Law Company
Sam Hyun Ka — Chief Executive Officer, Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering (KSOE)
Jinseop Kim — Senior Vice President, Unico Logistics Co Ltd (online)
Christopher Koo — Chairman, Korea International Trade Association (KITA) (online)
German Maslov — Vice President of Liner and Logistic Division, FESCO
Sunguk Moon — Head of Global Business, KT Corporation
Alexey Rakhmanov — Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer, United Shipbuilding Corporation (online)
Elena Kharisova — Vice President for Perspective Projects and New Infrastructure, Far Eastern Federal University (FEFU); General Director, Development Fund of the Innovative Research and Technology Center Russky

Video address:
Hong Nam Ki — Vice Prime Minister, Minister of Planning and Finance of the Republic of Korea
Alexey Chekunkov — Minister of the Russian Federation for the Development of the Far East and the Arctic

The Great Eurasian Partnership is taking shape right before our eyes in the form of integration processes, the creation of new free trade zones, growth in the scale of e-commerce, the efforts of various countries to improve transport infrastructure, and the development of the digital economy. At the same time, many obstacles remain on the path to creating a seamless space of equal and mutually beneficial cooperation: from uncoordinated national development strategies and inconsistencies in technical standards to a lack of information and trust. Today, everyone seems interested in how to achieve the earliest possible economic recovery on a trajectory of sustainable growth, revive value chains that have been disrupted by the pandemic and create new ones, strengthen the connectivity of infrastructure, and, in doing so, create conditions for the transition to a new technological order, which signifies a fairer socioeconomic order and more prosperity. The initiative to create the Greater Eurasian Partnership, which was put forward by Russian President Vladimir Putin and supported by all the states of the Eurasian Economic Union, aims to ensure economic stability, encourage the trend of unification, and solve existing problems. EAEU members believe all states on the continent will benefit from membership, including ordinary people. Can transport and economic corridors become the backbone of Greater Eurasia? Is the prospect of creating a Greater Eurasian Energy Space realistic? How will the processes of trade liberalization develop in Eurasia, and is it possible to create a continental free trade zone? What does the future of the financial dimension of Greater Eurasia look like? How essential is de-dollarization to the concept or are there other forms of regional financial cooperation? How might digital platforms help forge links amongst national economies and build common development strategies? Finally, how can business gain from the creation of the Greater Eurasian Partnership?

Moderator:
Kirill Barskiy — Ambassador-at-Large, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation

Panellists:
Glenn Diesen — Professor, School of Business, University of South-Eastern Norway (USN) (online)
Alexey Maslov — Acting Chief Executive Officer, Institute of Far Eastern Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences (online)
Mher Sahakyan — Director, China-Eurasia Council for Political and Strategic Research (CECPSR)
Samnang Tean — President, National Institute of Diplomacy and International Relation (NIDIR) of the Kingdom of Cambodia (online)
Sun Zhuangzhi — Director, Institute of Russian, Eastern European and Central Asian Studies, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (online)
Zarema Shaukenova — Director, Kazakhstan Institute for Strategic Studies under the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan (online)
Tadzio Schilling — Chief Executive Officer, Association of European Businesses

Video address:
Sergei Glazyev — Member of the Board, Minister in Charge of Integration and Macroeconomics, Eurasian Economic Commission
Vladimir Norov — Secretary General, Shanghai Cooperation Organisation
Mikhail Fradkov — Director, Russian Institute for Strategic Studies