While such a demographic disparity between neighbours doesn’t automatically translate into migration, the wealth of economic opportunities eastern Russia offers Chinese firms and entrepreneurs is simply too attractive to pass up. Credible sources such as scholars from the Russian Academy of Sciences estimated in 2009 that at the high end, there were as many as 500,000 Chinese migrants in Siberia and the Russian Far East.
Given that most Chinese migrants work in the trading, agricultural, and construction sectors, it’s likely that the proportion of workers in Siberia and the Far East is rising, since these regions are hubs for such economic ventures. This point was underscored by a Russian Academy of Sciences report from 2009, which noted that Chinese have become the dominant migrant worker group in the Russian Far East, as well as the Siberian oblasts of Chita, Irkutsk, Novosibirsk, and Omsk.
While China obtains an increasing amount of energy and other resources from Russia, these sectors are unlikely to become major drivers of Chinese migration into Russia. An increase in more labour intensive activities such as agriculture, however, would likely encourage substantial increases in the number of Chinese expats in Eastern Russia. The shift would likely be compounded by the fact that while street kiosk trading, logging, and construction are typically transient jobs, agricultural operations often generate steadier employment that could lead more Chinese migrants to consider settling more permanently in the region.
The question, then, is whether increased trade and demographic links between China and Russia will translate into a stronger diplomatic partnership, or instead trigger friction that keeps the countries divided? Both countries are members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, the Six-Party Talks on North Korean nuclear weapons development, and hold substantial bi- and multi-lateral military exercises. At the same time, rising trade volumes can’t erase the reality that Russia exports low value-added raw materials to China and then imports higher value-added manufactured goods. Similar problems plague China’s economic ties with countries in Africa and Latin America, where the political tone in countries such as Argentina is becoming increasingly critical of trade with China.
But it’s more than just about the dynamics between these two countries. In addition to rising distrust of China in Russia, the fact that China’s most important economic and security relationship is with the United States is likely to limit how deeply Beijing will engage Moscow. Just as commodities are fungible, for China, partnership with Moscow is ultimately replaceable at many levels. Engagement with the United States, in contrast, is critical and irreplaceable for China – and the United States as well.
Gabe Collins is the co-founder of China SignPost and a former commodity investment analyst and research fellow in the US Naval War College's China Maritime Studies Institute. He can be reached atgabe@chinasignpost.com.
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Russia exports more to china than it imports from it and the new oil pipeline will increasing it
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_the_largest_trading_partners_of_the_People’s_Republic_of_China
the net export is also almost the same and the account balance is also high, different way same results. Say what you want about recourses but they bring the same money period.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_net_exports
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2187rank.html?countryName=Japan&countryCode=ja®ionCode=eas&rank=4#ja
Industry is also a fourth of china and usa
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Industry#List_of_countries_by_industrial_output
People need to stop talking about russia like its going to fell apart, russia is one of the most powerful countries and can compete with china and america. I would count russia even higher than india because of the links i posted above but india is also a powerful country tough.
Hairboy2
It is not the fault of us Russians that you have almost 1.5 billion people, and wiped out your resources. You will never get the Far East of Russia. And if war pops out I’ll fly from Moscow to Vladivostok to fight.