Russian experience of Industrial Parks discussed in China
September 5, Changchun, China. Participants of GTI Policy Dialogue on Industrial Parks considered industrial parks as quickly growing economic sectors in Russia, China, South Korea and Mongolia (GTI countries), having recognized them as efficient tool of regional development and diversification and also underlined great potential of international cooperation.
Stepan Zemtsov, Senior researcher, Innovation Economy Department, presented Russian experience in this sphere. According to Stepan, the evolution of industrial parks in Russia started in the 2000-s, when the first private parks were built from scratch while previously, nearly destroyed facilities in the old Soviet industrial “giants” were rented out. In the period of 2013 – 2017, the number of industrial parks grew more than twofold with the support of the State and increased from 80 to 166, and the overall number of similar facilities of the investment infrastructure exceeded 300 units. In general, they represented over 2000 resident companies with 68,000 new jobs and they attracted investments for the amount of nearly Rb 500 billion.
The competition for residents is growing among parks. Currently, Moscow region (34), Republic of Tatarstan (19), Kaluga region (10), Leningrad region (7), Republic of Bashkortostan (6), Vladimir (5), Sverdlovsk (5), Ulyanovsk (5), Novosibirsk (4) and Samara (4) regions have leading positions according to their number and influence.
Unfortunately, only two private industrial parks, distant from neighboring countries, operate in the Far East. However, there is a significant potential of international cooperation in the Far East Federal Okrug within the frame of establishment and development of industrial parks in the cross – border economic zones with China thanks to the availability of empty industrial space and labor force.
Representative of the Ministry of economic development of the Russian Federation, top officials of the Ministry of Commerce of the People’s Republic of China, Customs administration of Mongolia, representatives of the Chamber of commerce and industry of South Korea, Jilin Province, China, took part in the discussion of the experience in the establishment and development of industrial parks in the GTI countries.
The expanded Greater Tyumen Initiative, GTI, is a mechanism of intergovernmental cooperation in EAS acting under the UNDP support, with participation of four countries: People’s Republic of China, Republic of Korea, Mongolia and Russia. The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea withdrew from participation in 2009. GTI was established in 2005 by transforming the Tumen River Area Development Programme (TRADP), financed by UNDP from 1991 to 2005. Transportation, energy, investments, tourism and environment were acknowledged to be the key sectors for the development of multifaceted cooperation. Participation of the Russian Federation in the GTI activity is regulated by the Order of the Government of the Russian Federation No.732 of 17.07.1995 and No.1245-p of 25.08.2008 and coordinated by the Ministry of economic development of the Russian Federation.