THE CHINESE FACTOR IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF AGRICULTURE IN THE BORDER REGION OF THE RUSSIAN FAR EAST: RESULTS OF 2000-2020

Abstract

Attracting foreign capital entails the use of foreign labor. External labor resources have been one of the factors in the development of agriculture in the Far Eastern regions over the past 20 years. Attraction of foreign labor and investment in the agriculture of the regions has ambiguous consequences for the development of these regions. The current situation in the spring of 2020, associated with the closure of the borders of the Russian Federation, revealed the role of the Chinese factor for the regions of the Russian Far East. The peculiarities of attracting Chinese workers to the agriculture of the Russian regions are well traced in the example of the Jewish Autonomous Region, which is located on the border with Heilongjiang Province (PRC). The peculiarities of the region's geographical location influenced the formation of stable Russian-Chinese relations in agriculture. The paper examines the processes of Russian-Chinese interaction in agriculture on the example of the Jewish Autonomous Region. The change in the role of Chinese citizens in the development of agriculture and rural areas of the border region of the Russian Far East is shown. Two periods of Russian-Chinese interaction in agriculture of the Jewish Autonomous Region are highlighted and characterized. The first period (early 2000s - late 2000s) is characterized by a decrease in the area of arable land in the region, attracting cheaper Chinese migrants by local and Chinese agricultural producers. The second period of 2010-2020, this time, a system of lending to local farmers by Chinese partners for the future harvest, an increase in the area of arable land, an increase in the yuan exchange rate led to a higher level of wages of Chinese workers. Chinese farmers are hiring local people. It is concluded that the peculiarity of the development of agriculture with the participation of the Chinese factor in the Russian Far East is that the Chinese were present and are present as investors, producers, workers, and farmers. In addition, most of the soybeans produced in the region are exported to China.