Russia is Set to Develop their Pacific and Arctic Regions
I will just list a few things here, and you take a guess why they are doing this. I'd also enourage you to ask - and what are we, the United States, doing on the topic of the Arctics?
The speech by the head of state took place during a plenary session of the Eastern Economic Forum, which is being held from September 3 to 6 on Russky Island in Vladivostok.
Vladimir Putin noted that the burden on the Far East's transport system has grown significantly in recent years. "The region's connections with foreign countries are strengthening. All of this requires the modernization of road and rail networks, the expansion of seaports, and the creation of modern transport hubs with robotic warehouses and digital cargo processing," the President emphasized.
The modernization of the Eastern Railway Network—the Baikal-Amur Mainline (BAM) and the Trans-Siberian Railway—will continue. By 2032, their carrying capacity should be 1.5 times higher than at the beginning of the current year. There are also plans for further expansion of railway access to the dynamically developing seaports of the Far East, primarily driven by private investors. "Over the past 10 years, port capacity in the region has essentially doubled. Today, it stands at nearly 380 million tons of cargo per year. In accordance with the current federal project, the Far East's port capacity should increase by another 115 million tons of cargo per year by 2030," Vladimir Putin said.
Bridges to China have been built—the Nizhneleninskoye-Tongjiang bridge and the Blagoveshchensk-Heihe bridge. Next year, a bridge across the Tumen River to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea is expected to open. It is necessary to actively develop transport and logistics centers in the vicinity of these bridges to maximize their potential.
The President highlighted the importance of modernizing airports in the Far East, which already serve more than 14 million passengers annually. This includes tourists who are increasingly visiting the Far Eastern region. A significant event was the post-pandemic resumption of flights between Vladivostok and Pyongyang, as well as the launch of direct air service between Moscow and Pyongyang in July of this year. A month earlier, direct train carriages between the capitals of the two countries also resumed operation. "I am confident that these decisions will serve to further bring our countries closer together and establish stronger ties," Vladimir Putin stated.
"We not only need to lay reliable, safe sea routes in the Arctic and achieve year-round operation of the Trans-Arctic corridor. There is also work ahead, what is called 'on shore.' I am referring to the development of communication and navigation, vessel service systems, and search and rescue infrastructure. And, of course, this includes the modernization of seaports in the Arctic and the Far East," Vladimir Putin emphasized.
The Trans-Arctic corridor should primarily serve the interests of the domestic economy and the regions of the Far East, Siberia, and the Arctic, while also fostering cooperation among them and opening up new business opportunities. This is a comprehensive system that should integrate sea, rail, and road transport. It will allow us to use the potential of our largest rivers, such as the Ob, Yenisei, and Lena. Everything must function as a single system.
The Russian President also stressed that a priority is the creation of modern shipbuilding centers, which will be tasked with producing a full range of vessels for the route: from tugboats and supply ships to ice-class bulk carriers and gas tankers, as well as powerful icebreakers. To increase the efficiency and sustainability of the Trans-Arctic corridor, it is essential to provide direct access to Arctic sea routes for cargo from Siberia and the Urals.