Belt and Road Initiative for environmental economic development: A Case Study of cooperation between China and Russia in transport sector

Abstract

The impact of climate change and COVID-19 pandemic on the global economy is indeed powerful; this determines particular relevance of low-carbon economy and environment-oriented development, drawing considerable public attention to these issues. China and Russia as the two largest neighboring countries have a centuries-old history of relationship and fruitful cooperation. Transport industry plays an essential role in promoting trade and economic development between the two countries and its expansion may also contribute to achieving sustainable development and carbon neutrality goals. This paper aims to assess the prospects of cooperation between China and Russia in transport policy with regard to the environmental component through the study of the environment-oriented processes using the transregional theory, and Kuznetsov’ transregional model of interaction between Russia and China in the transport sector. The results of the present research show that China and Russia can be expected to further strengthen their cooperation in the field of transport infrastructure building and renovating roads railways, ports, and border crossings to expand traffic capacity and improve efficiency — all this with a focus on new green technologies.