Cross-border cooperation between Russia and China on environmental issues in the 21st century: problems and prospects

Abstract

Environmental cooperation is an integral part of Russian-Chinese cooperation. Russia and China pay attention to environmental policy issues, but these issues are not a priority; much more attention is paid to cooperation in the economic, energy, political, financial, and military spheres. In China, environmental policy became part of public policy quite late - only in the early 1980s, and its leading institutions were formed in the 1990s. Today, China actively participates in numerous international environmental forums and conferences. Between Russia and the PRC, bilateral agreements on cooperation in environmental protection were concluded; however, these documents are declarative, and they have not developed the mechanisms of the bilateral decision of cross-border problems. These moments were exposed, for example, during large-scale pollution of the Amur River in November 2005, caused by an accident at a petrochemical plant in Jilin City, China. In general, the close proximity of Russian territories to China hurts the environment. It creates a threat to environmental safety in the transboundary zone of Russia and China in the Far East. In addition to illegal deforestation and river pollution, China’s proximity creates severe environmental problems for Russia, such as illicit trade in parts of rare animals and plants, illegal extraction of marine biological resources, and pollution of the sea. The existing problems are caused, among other things, by imperfect Russian legislation in the environmental protection field. However, there are opportunities for environmental cooperation between the two countries, and they require careful analysis and practical implementation.