In Russian schools, pupils sitting at the back of the class so they can quietly chat away, far from the eyes and ears of the teacher often hear: “Hey, you there, in Kamchatka, quieter, please”. Kamchatka is incredibly far away, and it is located in a place we call the “Far East”. For many Russians this is seen as the edge of the world, and in this too common misconception lies at the roots of many problems. In fact, the Far East is our “window to the world” in the 21st century. If at the turn of the 17th and 18th centuries the “window to Europe” was St. Petersburg, which duly appeared in the Baltic Sea, today it does not seem such a crazy idea to move the capital closer to the Sea of Japan (or at least to redistribute the functions of the capital among different cities). Crossing the Pacific Ocean, we reach the most developed parts of the globe: Southeast Asia and the West Coast of the United States. For a mindset used to looking for a centre in the West, it is hard to overcome behavioural and mental stereotypes, but with every coming year, the facts will speak for themselves.
Human, financial and commodity flows in this part of the world are such that many are already talking about the rise of a Pacific civilization that has replaced that of the Atlantic. Although the «decline» and «extinction» of Europe is a separate and very controversial issue, the concentration of intellectual and material resources in the Asia-Pacific region is such that we shouldn’t balk at comparisons with the EU. Most of the fundamental decisions in Russia, both governmental and business, are taken in Moscow, for which the Atlantic is closer and better understood, yet it is hard to dispute the fact that the largest market in the world is no longer there. The Pacific Ocean washes against not only the Asian tigers, but also the USA, Canada and Australia. In other words, the Pacific States influence, and will continue to influence, the world economy more than the Atlantic ones, which means that this clout subsequently spreads to cultural and social norms.
This compels Russia to compare herself with ultra-technological Japan and Korea, not to mention China, which is getting richer every day. Nevertheless, of course, our task is not to catch up and overtake our neighbours, but to ensure continuous development in the region in such as way that money from the capital doesn’t erode or destroy the local institutions or the established system of local relations. The Far East is an area where the competencies, ties and mutual responsibilities «grown» here acquire special importance, where without them it is impossible to create a working programme of transformation. We should not forget that since the epoch of the Russian Empire, the Far East has been a region of perpetual development that has never been fully completed. In all likelihood, nowhere else in the world has a similar experience of «settling» such large and diverse territories; yet we can still take note of some general observations.
The region should be an interesting and convenient place for its residents, not only for foreign investors, so that the development and support of local communities should be based in both large and small projects. The same holds with business and in general private initiative: regulation and conditions for it should stimulate and encourage growth; otherwise, the enterprising Far Easterners will continue to fulfil their potential in Shanghai, Hong Kong or Sydney. Of course, for the go-getters as well as for everyone else, there should be exciting anchor projects with the right conditions in place. You would be hard-pushed to come up with something better and more fitting than education in order to promote development, and while the Far Eastern Federal University campus inspires optimism, this is not enough for such a large region. Linking the region with the rest of the country is critically important, so that its remoteness should remain only in name. Flying to the southern outskirts of China from here is often easier than to Kazan, and this is a problem that the market has yet to address satisfactorily. Moreover, the Far East does not attract enough Russian tourists even thought there are many Koreans, Chinese and Japanese visitors. All of this seems simple and straightforward, but falls into the category of underlying problems, and if no one disputes the strategic importance of the region, it means it is time to do something about them. Then the Far East will be associated with not only the taiga or the ocean, but also with successful people doing worthwhile things.