Vladimir Putin took part in the APEC summit in Beijing and invited partner countries to participate in two grand investment projects. The first one is about the creation of a trans-Asian transport hub that implies modernization of the Trans-Siberian Railway, Baikal-Amur Mainline and the construction of port facilities. The second one is related to the Northern Sea Route. Such a project, which Russia will oversee, will be able to integrate Asian countries and have a powerful economy involved.
Leonid Savin, chief editor of Geopolitics news and analytical publication
"The first project, I think, it needs a very serious examination. As for the Northern Sea Route, it has attracted attention of many experts from around the world over the past few years. The United States sees the project as a threat to the dominance of other transport routes, as this new route significantly reduces the time of transportation by sea, which means lower costs too. I think that Asian partners will be interested in the project, given the fact that instability in Africa endangers sea communications."
