Eastern Economic Forum Tallies Up Investment

The second day of the Eastern Economic Forum moved beyond opening discussions: the agenda took shape with investment projects worth at least 113.8 billion rubles, new agreements emerged with Chinese partners, and the spotlight fell on logistics, raw material processing, and changes to the preferential treatment system.

From Raw Materials to Processing

The largest agreement on September 2 was an interregional petrochemical cluster project. The Far East Development Corporation and the international engineering corporation Innovative Technologies intend to invest 100 billion rubles in it between 2026 and 2032. The cluster is meant to unite Khabarovsk and Primorsky krais and Amur Oblast, creating a deep processing chain for petrochemical raw materials across several regions at once.

The project fits into a broader pivot of the Far Eastern economy toward processing. According to the Ministry for the Development of the Russian Far East, the investment potential of deep processing projects through 2036—from petrochemicals and metallurgy to timber and fish processing—stands at 13.6 trillion rubles. The draft new development strategy for the Far East also envisions more than a fivefold increase in manufacturing output by 2036. Against this backdrop, the 100 billion ruble agreement represents only about 0.7% of the prospective deep processing portfolio, but it's one of the rare examples of a project initially structured as an interregional production chain.

Another 11 billion rubles will be directed by Chinese investment company Xinyang Zhengtong toward modernizing the Kuldur resort in the Jewish Autonomous Oblast. The project envisions expanding the sanatorium and resort complex. The JAO currently has poorly developed tourism infrastructure, yet the oblast's potential is enormous: in 2025, the region received 59,800 tourists, up 35.4% from the previous year, while the number of tourist trips grew 34.8% to 81,200. Foreign tourists, however, numbered only 1,270 people, leaving substantial potential reserves for developing inbound tourism, primarily from China. For comparison, the Altai Republic received 2.8 million tourists—nearly 47 times more than the JAO.

The third project with disclosed costs involves two customs and logistics terminals in Lesozavodsk, Primorsky Krai. Far Eastern Technologies will invest 2.78 billion rubles. The plan calls for constructing the Sungach road terminal and the Green Hub rail terminal.

The need for such facilities is underscored by trade dynamics with China. By the end of 2025, Primorsky Krai's trade turnover with China reached $8 billion, up 15% year-on-year; cargo flow through road and rail border crossings grew 29%, exceeding 3.3 million tons. Current infrastructure wasn't fully prepared for such volumes.

Together, these three projects total 113.78 billion rubles, with the petrochemical cluster accounting for nearly 88% of the publicly announced volume. This isn't the sum of all second-day agreements, but rather the minimum confirmed estimate: a number of deals were concluded without disclosing their value.

Consolidating Incentives into a Single System

Another significant institutional decision on the second day was a draft law prepared by the Ministry for the Development of the Russian Far East on a unified preferential regime for the Far East and the Arctic.

Investors in the Far East and Arctic currently operate under at least four key preferential regimes: territories of advanced development, the Free Port of Vladivostok, the Russian Arctic Zone, and the Kuril Islands. These are planned to be consolidated into a single mechanism—a unified territory of advanced development, or "super-TOR"—whose launch has been under discussion since 2027. The new rules are intended to apply only to new investment projects, with the state determining priority sectors and the package of benefits tailored to the needs of specific projects.

The proposed approach also envisions more active digitalization of project selection. Investors are expected to interact with the state through services provided by the Ministry for the Development of the Far East and the Ministry of Finance.

For now, this is just a draft law, not a reform that has entered into force. Its parameters still need to be presented to the president and go through the legislative process. Therefore, the main outcome of day two here should be considered not the emergence of a new regime, but the attempt to consolidate disparate support instruments into a single system.

For business, this is potentially more important than yet another agreement: the rules should become uniform across a large macroregion, and access to support measures should become more transparent.

Gas will bring money not only to energy sector

One of the central themes of the second day of the Eastern Economic Forum was energy infrastructure—a fundamental constraint on the Far East's industrial growth. The macroregion's gasification rate currently stands at just over 30%, while the Russian average reaches 75%. The government has set a target to bring the Far East's rate to 50% by 2030.

Against this backdrop, Minister for the Development of the Far East Alexey Chekunkov estimated the potential increase in tax revenues from developing the Far East's gas infrastructure at 1.8 trillion rubles over ten years. The region's gasification program through 2036 is being formed as part of Russia's General Gas Industry Development Scheme through 2050; the Ministry for the Development of the Far East, the Ministry of Energy, regional authorities, and Gazprom are still coordinating the investment volume and funding sources.

The gap between the current and target gasification levels is about 20 percentage points. This means the discussion involves not only additional fuel for prospective enterprises, but also a large-scale expansion of network infrastructure for cities, towns, municipal services, and existing industry. The high pace of gasification that Energy Minister Sergey Tsivilev spoke about at the forum is important precisely because the region's starting level remains significantly below the national average.

The electricity agenda also requires major investment. By 2030, the Far East plans to commission 8.3 GW of new thermal generation capacity, including 3.5 GW of coal and 1.9 GW of gas. Through 2042, the general scheme for power facility placement provides for six hydroelectric plants with a combined capacity of 3.77 GW, two nuclear power plants with a total capacity of 3.2 GW, and about 4,000 km of additional power grids.

In this context, Khabarovsk Territory Governor Dmitry Demeshin's proposal for parallel construction of nuclear plants in Khabarovsk and Primorsky territories appears to be an attempt to address future energy deficits in the macroregion's growing economy. In his view, synchronized construction would allow using a common construction team and already developed competencies. However, this remains a regional initiative rather than an approved decision: the nuclear plant projects are included in long-term planning, but their specific configuration and timelines require separate decisions.

China becomes part of the infrastructure

The China agenda at the forum went far beyond individual investment projects. Trade turnover between Far Eastern regions and China has grown 2.5 times in recent years, exceeding 1.7 trillion rubles last year. Now the parties are trying to expand not only the volume of trade, but also the number of companies and projects participating in it.

The Far East Development Corporation has reached an agreement with the Harbin Free Trade Zone administration to jointly attract business to Russian-Chinese projects, develop export-import ties, and help investors access government support measures. At the same time, cross-border infrastructure necessary to service growing cargo flows is being developed.

In the same vein, Vladimir Putin held meetings with Mongolian Prime Minister Nyam-Osoryn Uchral and Chinese State Council Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang. The parties discussed trilateral cooperation between Russia, China, and Mongolia. The EEF thus maintains its role as a platform for coordinating Russia's economic ties with its neighbors in Northeast Asia.

The most important practical issue within this trilateral framework remains the future of the Power of Siberia-2 gas pipeline, which is to run from Russia to China through Mongolian territory. At the EEF, Energy Minister Sergey Tsivilev announced that the project is in the final stage before construction begins. According to him, the export portion of the project will now be developed under the name "Power of Baikal"—a name that, as the minister reported, was proposed by Vladimir Putin.

The pipeline's planned capacity is up to 50 billion cubic meters of gas per year; the anticipated contract term is 30 years. A legally binding memorandum on the construction of Power of Siberia-2 and the Soyuz Vostok transit pipeline through Mongolia was signed by Russia and China in September 2025. Negotiations on gas supplies from Western Siberia to China via this second route have been ongoing for more than ten years.

Another figure mentioned at the session on interregional cooperation between the EAEU and SCO concerned relations with Azerbaijan: 21 Russian regions have concluded agreements with regions of that country. This does not mean a separate Azerbaijani project has emerged in the Far East: it was not publicly specified whether Far Eastern Federal District regions are among these entities or what specific investments follow from the agreements. Rather, the figure illustrates a broader policy of using interregional ties as a tool of foreign economic policy.

Business and Social Infrastructure

The economic agenda on day two was not limited to industry. The forum separately addressed demography and quality of life—issues on which it ultimately depends whether new production facilities will be left without personnel and new cities without residents.

Sakhalin Region Governor Valery Limarenko, who heads the State Council commission on "Investments," announced a plan to implement 263 reforms across 11 priority areas to improve business conditions. This continues the line of changing not only individual incentives but the very environment in which companies operate.

Social infrastructure also became part of the program. First Deputy Health Minister Viktor Fisenko reported that during the first stage of primary healthcare modernization in 2021–2025, more than 230,000 results were achieved nationwide—from new and renovated clinics to installation of medical equipment. This is a federal figure, not a result specific to the Far East alone, but the topic itself aligns with the forum's stated goal of linking investment development with living conditions.

In this sense, the second day of the EEF differs markedly from a simple showcase of major projects. Factories, border crossings, resorts, gas infrastructure, investor regulations, and social issues all found themselves on the same platform.