The Russian Far East, Arctic, and China: Reshaping North-East Asia in the 21st Century

On May 26^th, Chris Devonshire-Ellis, Founder of Dezan Shira & Associates, will present at a conference organized by the Centre for Rising Powers at the University of Cambridge.  

This conference will examine the Asia Pacific Rim (APR) relationship that covers the Russian Far East (RFE) and the Russian Arctic. This has been the focal point for many economic and diplomatic initiatives by Northeast Asian countries in recent years. The conference will examine the concept of "connectivity", including physical, capital, and human linkages that affect infrastructural power and network dynamics which in turn influence national interests and the logistics, shipping, oil & gas, and financial industries.

Northeast Asia with its huge population, enormous economic potential, and geographically strategic position in the APR is a growing center for a number of diverse strategic alliances; some of which may expand overland westward from China across Eurasia to Scandinavia – this conference evaluates the Chinese Belt and Road Initiative, as well as the emerging seaward route from Asia to Europe via the RFE and the Arctic’s Northern Sea Route (NSR).