The federal law of Russia on establishing an international advanced development zone in the Far East region will come into effect on January 1, 2026, and the construction of the international advanced development zone will officially begin. Analysts interpret that the International Advanced Development Zone attracts foreign investment with preferential policies, aiming to open up new prospects for foreign cooperation and economic development in the Russian Far East region. This policy draws on China's experience and will provide a new platform for China Russia cooperation. The so-called international advanced development zone, which increases preferential treatment, is simply the Russian version of an industrial park for attracting foreign investment. According to the Russian coastal media website, the introduction of this policy draws on the experience of China's Suzhou Industrial Park and the China Belarus "Giant Stone" Industrial Park, which China participated in the construction of in Belarus. According to Cheknkov, the Minister of Far East and Arctic Development of Russia, the first batch of international advanced development zones will be promoted in 5 of the 11 administrative entities under the jurisdiction of the Russian Far East Federal District, including Primorsky Krai, Khabarovsk Krai, Amur Oblast, Outer Baikal Krai, and Jewish Autonomous Oblast. The minimum investment amount for enterprises to settle in the International Advanced Development Zone is 500 million rubles (approximately 44 million yuan), and the settled enterprises must produce high value-added products or carry out projects approved by the Russian government on a specific list. On December 6, 2025, a Russian freight train that was about to depart for China stopped at the Ninskoye railway port in Russia. In recent years, Russia has made efforts to strengthen cooperation with countries in the global South. In this context, the Russian government is planning to build an international advanced development zone in the Far East region based on the preferential system for advanced development zones launched in 2015. It is reported that compared with previous advanced development zones, international advanced development zones are specifically open to foreign investors and offer greater preferential treatment. The key advantage of the International Advanced Development Zone is that it provides long-term stable guarantees for settled enterprises, and tax and regulatory conditions remain unchanged throughout the entire project cycle, up to a maximum of 15 years. Specifically, preferential conditions include zero income tax rate for 10 consecutive years, insurance premiums far below the national average, land and infrastructure use rights, and free customs zones. In addition, the commercial information of the settled enterprises will also receive special protection. The article from the Russian Far East News Network believes that the International Advanced Development Zone will help build a modern and internationally competitive economic zone in the Russian Far East, ensuring sustainable development in the region. Facing China "Russian public opinion pointed out that the international advanced development zone located in the Russian Far East, with its geographical advantages and unique preferential system adjacent to China, will mainly attract Chinese investment. This will bring new vitality to the economic and trade cooperation between Russia and China. The Russian Far East News Network published an article stating that the International Advanced Development Zone aims to become a platform for attracting foreign investment, mainly targeting China. This is a drone photo of the Heihe Blagoveshchensk highway bridge taken on August 11, 2023, on the side of Heihe River in China. According to data from the Russian Ministry of Far East and Arctic Development, China is the main source of investment and trading partner for the Russian Far East region. In the past five years, the trade volume between the Russian Far East and China has doubled. Gorovko, Executive Director of the Russian Preferential System Enterprise Alliance, stated that Chinese companies that have established connections with the Russian market or are considering entering the Russian market can benefit from the new preferential system. Chinese companies are the main attraction of international advanced development zones. Cheknkov pointed out that the advantages of attracting Chinese investment in the Far East region lie in its geographical proximity to China, unprecedented preferential policies, support from the Far East Development Fund, and reliable legal protection. The comprehensive strategic partnership between China and Russia in the new era also provides a solid foundation for cooperation in agriculture, deep processing of resources, transportation, and logistics projects between the two countries. Under the strategic guidance of the heads of state of China and Russia, the comprehensive strategic partnership between China and Russia in the new era has further deepened and become more solid. The two countries are actively expanding economic and trade cooperation, and major cooperation projects are steadily advancing. Analysts believe that the international advanced development zone will bring new opportunities for upgrading the quality of China Russia cooperation. During the 30th regular meeting between the Chinese and Russian Prime Ministers in November 2025, both sides agreed to utilize the preferential policies of the Russian International Advanced Development Zone to promote the construction of an agricultural cooperation pilot demonstration zone in the Russian Far East. On December 8, 2025, employees of a Chinese funded enterprise engaged in the production of steel structural materials were working in Birobidzhan, the capital of the Jewish Autonomous Oblast in Russia. Xinhua News Agency reporter Liu Kai said that the Russia China Agricultural Cooperation Experimental Demonstration Zone located in the Primorsky Krai will become one of the pilot projects of the International Advanced Development Zone, creating industrial clusters including agricultural product processing plants, agricultural machinery manufacturing plants, grain transportation terminals, etc. Wu Bo, Deputy General Manager of Jiabei Agricultural Far East Company, a Chinese funded enterprise in the Russian Far East, said that the region is rich in agricultural resources and has a large amount of undeveloped farmland. China's demand for imported agricultural products continues to grow, providing a broad market for Russian agricultural products. The export of Russian agricultural products to China has grown rapidly, and there is still significant room for development. The official launch of the International Advanced Development Zone will help China and Russia to jointly carry out the construction of agricultural cooperation pilot demonstration zones. Li Yonghui, a researcher at the Russian Institute of Eastern European and Central Asian Studies of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, believes that Russia has clearly positioned international advanced development zones as carriers for developing high value-added industries, with the goal of transforming and upgrading the Far East from a resource export base to a manufacturing and processing base facing the Asia Pacific region. International advanced development zones can help promote the expansion of China Russia cooperation from energy trade to higher value-added fields such as manufacturing, deep processing of agricultural products, and cross-border logistics, enhancing the quality and resilience of bilateral economic and trade cooperation. (New Society)