The activity of the enterprises with Chinese capital in the Amur region in the 1990s in the context of the socio-economic situation in the Russian Far East
In the early 1990s, the transformation of the Russian economy from the state centralized model to the market model had required new forms of interaction with foreign partners. In this matter, the experience of Russian-Chinese cooperation was particularly interesting and gave us the opportunity to describe the economic positions of the two countries, their interests, strategies that have developed within the framework of the unique socio-economic situation. The new system of relations was a challenge for the Russian economy, which was experiencing a crisis at that time. All these facts determined the relevance of this study. The purpose of the article is to reveal the complex problems of formation and activity of enterprises with Chinese capital in the Amur region in the 1990s. The sources of the article are the materials from the funds of regional archives. In the article the problem-chronological approach was used, which allowed to consider the features of the socio-economic situation in the Far East of the Russian Federation in the 1990s, to identify the prerequisites for the creation of enterprises with Chinese capital and the features of the Chinese entrepreneurs activity. After analyzing the socio-economic circumstances prevailing during this studied historical period, the author has discovered that the substance of relations between the USSR and China was rapidly changed. It was happened on the background of sharp changes in the socio-political situation in the Soviet Union. The difficult domestic political situation had led to a slowdown in economic growth. One of the ways out of the crisis situation was the intensive development of foreign economic relations. For the Far East, with its unique geopolitical position, the development of foreign economic relations was a special factor in development. Cross-border trade had increased significantly: since the early 1990s, it had developed and transformed very quickly, transforming from cross-border trade to regional model. Attraction of foreign investments and development of joint and foreign enterprises on this basis was considered as a promising economic solution. At that time, Far East entrepreneurs were actively seeking to enter the foreign market, acquiring a completely new economic experience, obtaining previously lacking knowledge and intellectual resources. The activity of joint ventures was directed to resell the goods more than to develop of its own production, and the shadow sector of this activity was rather big. In this situation, Chinese businessmen were rather interested in financial schemes that allowed them to obtain economic benefits in the shortest possible time. In the course of the study, the author came to the conclusion that enterprises with Chinese capital were the integral part of the economic life of the Amur region. However, in spite of the undoubted advantages - a favorable geographical position, resource base, mutual interest of the Russian Federation and China in cooperation - the Russian Far East had not fully realized its economic potential. In the region, its advantages were not used, but were offered “in exchange” for economic survival.