ACADEMIC DIPLOMACY AS A FACTOR OF THE CHINESE-RUSSIANMONGOLIAN COOPERATION AS PART OF THE PROJECT "CHINA-MONGOLIA-RUSSIA ECONOMIC CORRIDOR"
Academic diplomacy represents a category of the “second track diplomacy” (Track II Diplomacy), i. e., the diplomacy of the expert community. It is often being practiced when the use of traditional forms of diplomacy proved to be unsuccessful. Academic diplomacy in public processes is carried out through qualified expert participation in the development of general provisions and specific areas of a country’s foreign policy, as well as elaboration and improvement of academic cooperation as a form of public diplomacy. This form of public diplomacy makes significant contribution in improving and stabilizing relations between states, creating a positive image of a country. The leading role in the implementation of these forms of activity belongs to expert and analytical centers (Think tanks). Academic diplomacy is an increasingly important component of the trilateral partnership complex among China, Mongolia, and Russia. Being one of the forms of public diplomacy, it serves as a means of promoting and protecting national interests of the states that present parties of the “China-Mongolia-Russia Economic Corridor” project. Diplomatic efforts of scholars of the three countries is a promising format for international contacts with potential impact on international relations, particularly in Northeast Asia. Science diplomacy allows to expand the circle of non-state actors representing Russia, China, and Mongolia, thereby increasing the number of participants in diplomatic process. Scholars of the three countries have accumulated considerable experience in bilateral cooperation in various fields, which suggests favorable prospects for the expansion of tripartite contacts. Interaction of the scholars of the three countries is a form of public diplomacy, when the participants pose both as academic, and public figures.