Prospects for Russia's Crop Exports to China and Food Security of China

Abstract

The article makes a contribution to academic discussion about the actual global problem of providing world’s population with the food. The paper focuses on cooperation between Russia and China in the context of economic development of Russian border regions and food security in China which is both largest food producer and food consumer. The main research question is how the situation with the food security in China influences cooperation between Russia in China in agriculture production and trade (especially grain trade) and could Russia benefit from it. And otherwise, what makes it difficult to cope with China in this aspect: alarmist sentiments, bureaucratic troubles or lack of food in Russia itself. On the basis of the analysis of sources about Russian production, Chinese consumption and the flow of goods via Russo-Chinese border the author concludes that import of Russian products (especially soybeans) has important but not crucial role for China’s food security while the demand for Russian production would maintain in the future. It is becoming more profitable for Russian agriculture business to produce food for Chinese market in recent years so now large-scale Russian corporations displace small-scale Chinese farmers from the Russian Far East soil but involvement of Chinese trade companies maintains crucial. There are good prospects for development of agriculture in the eastern regions of Russian (not only Far East but Siberia as well) while increasing of export to China could be provided only after the construction of special port terminal in the Russian Far East. Author proposes several variants for location of such a port terminal and analyzes actual situation in this sphere.