Executive Summary
This report examines the geopolitical significance of the tenth Eastern Economic Forum (EEF), convened on September 3, 2025, in Vladivostok.
The Forum occurred shortly after President Vladimir Putin attended the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Tianjin and the Victory Day celebrations in Beijing.
During the SCO summit, Russia, China, and India engaged in strategic discussions, and their leaders advocated for a fairer global governance structure while reaffirming the SCO’s importance in Eurasian security and economic collaboration.
Through the EEF, Moscow works to put these objectives into action, fostering collaboration between the three nations and developing tangible projects to establish a new economic and political system in the region.
Background Information
From September 3–6, 2025, Vladivostok, the capital of the Russian Far East, will host the tenth Eastern Economic Forum (EEF) under the theme “The Far East: Cooperation for Peace and Prosperity.” The Forum will open with a review of a decade of development across Russia’s Far Eastern territories.
On September 4-5, 2025, President Vladimir Putin will attend the Forum following his visit to China. The plenary session on September 5 will feature Lao Prime Minister Sonsai Siphandon, Mongolian Prime Minister Gombozhavyn Zandanshatar, and Li Hongzhong, Vice-Chairman of China’s National People’s Congress Standing Committee.
Putin’s agenda will highlight the Far East’s development, including an interactive presentation of regional progress, a videoconference launching new enterprises and transport infrastructure, and a dedicated meeting on advancing the fuel and energy sector in the Far Eastern Federal District.
The EEF program also underscores plans to deepen strategic cooperation between Russia and China, as well as between Russia and India. Analysis of the Forum’s agenda provides insight into the current trajectory and future prospects of Moscow’s relations with key Eurasian powers.
Geopolitical Scenario of the Eastern Economic Forum 2025
Russia and India Relations
- According to the announcement of upcoming bilateral events, the Russia–India strategic partnership demonstrates both versatility and dynamic progress across economic, trade, technological, and cultural spheres.
- Moscow and New Delhi are preparing concrete measures to improve trade conditions, boost volumes, introduce new financial instruments, and open fresh channels of investment.
- Bilateral cooperation between Russia and India continues to expand amid global economic shifts. The partnership is increasingly centered on joint initiatives in energy, digital technologies, agriculture, and transportation and logistics (including the Vladivostok–Chennai maritime corridor) alongside efforts to promote the use of national currencies in trade.
- Amid global supply chain realignments, Russia and India view each other as key partners, seeking to drive economic growth through cooperation in manufacturing, technological innovation, and workforce mobility.
Russia and China Relations
- In the run-up to the EEF, the Roscongress Foundation and the Gudok Publishing House conducted a study that reveals current trends, challenges, and prospects for the development of trade, economic, and transport and logistics ties between the two countries. It notes that by the end of 2024, the volume of trade turnover reached 244.6 billion US dollars, which is 2.3 times higher than in 2018. Both Moscow and Beijing are prioritising the enhancement of transport and logistics infrastructure, which includes upgrading the border crossings at Zabaikalsk-Manchuria, Grodekovo-Suifenhe, and Nizhneleninskoye-Tongjiang, along with the development of the Northern Sea Route and the Eastern Test Site.
- The study also indicates that the growth of trade turnover will slow down in the first half of 2025 because of macroeconomic and structural issues. In this context, the parties will collaborate to further modernise the transportation infrastructure, expedite customs clearance procedures, and diversify route networks to enhance the integrative appeal of Russian-Chinese cooperation.
- Both Moscow and Beijing confront shared challenges such as the potential of a protracted tariff dispute with the United States, instability within international markets and uncertainties in global economic progress. Moreover, a key area of Russian—Chinese collaboration can be a joint digital platform for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) and BRICS, encompassing alternative settlement and payment systems, site development, and shared transport and logistics infrastructure.
- In the present-day context, Russia and China observe a deepening of their bilateral cooperation in the IT domain, involving the creation of joint technological solutions, the establishment of IT parks and development centres, and the commercialisation of innovations. Parties will persist in developing and implementing AI across major economic sectors and monetising these technologies, establishing profitable business strategies.
- The parties consider interregional cooperation to be an engine of comprehensive economic integration of the two countries. Therefore, Russia and China will support noteworthy projects like transportation corridors and logistical facilities, environmental programs, cooperation in environmental preservation, and cultural exchanges, along with community-level interactions, within the border regions.
Conclusion
The upcoming Eastern Economic Forum underscores the Far East’s significance in strengthening Russia’s economic ties with Eurasian nations, especially given the expanding partnerships with China and India. The territory is being turned into a testing ground for joint projects.
Key areas of focus include investing in infrastructure (developing transportation routes, updating ports, building bridges and logistics hubs), energy partnerships (oil and gas initiatives, renewable energy sources, power grid connections), and the agro-industrial complex (joint processing facilities and agricultural clusters).
The development of the Russian Far East is connected to the advancement of the Greater Eurasian Partnership (GEP) international initiatives, which suggests creating an open integration structure across the continent. These initiatives seek to integrate the capacities of states, regional organisations, and partnerships, aligning economic activities and harmonising national and regional development strategies across Eurasia.
Over time, this process may enable Moscow to decisively shift away from its Western-oriented foreign policy. Nonetheless, certain economic projects with neutral or friendly Western countries—such as Serbia, Hungary, and Slovakia—are likely to retain their importance. In the longer term, additional states that reconsider their anti-Russian policies and move away from confrontation may also join this group.
*Cover image: A picture from the Eastern Economic Forum 2025 (Credits: VK Page of the Eastern Economic Forum)
Disclaimer: The views, opinions, and analyses presented in this report are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official position of SpecialEurasia. The information contained herein is provided for informational and analytical purposes only and should not be interpreted as an official endorsement.
