China and Russia eye outer space, inner harmony
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PO: Has the earthquake in Japan had any influence on Russia? And what effect will it have on the revival of the global economy?
Razov: The Japanese earthquake, tsunami and nuclear crisis are certainly a tragedy for the whole world. Like everyone else, our first reaction has been sympathy for the victims of the catastrophe, and we also provided material assistance including the rescue team and goods, which I believe China has also done. The Soviet Union experienced its own nuclear disaster with the Chernobyl event in 1986 and so we painfully understand the Japanese experience.
Speaking of the impact on international economy, we sincerely expect Japan, which has a strong economic capacity, to survive the catastrophe. The soaring price of energy is an obvious outcome of this crisis, and this is related to the situations in both Japan and Libya.
Some experts asserted that Russia will be one of the beneficiaries of the situation, as an energy supplier in the international market. However, in fact we are not optimistic about this view, because we consider the energy price should be reasonable on the international market, as the exorbitant price would result in unbalanced economy.
As a result, we are still observing the consequences of the quake on Japan's neighboring countries and the world economy, but we expect that they will not be too huge.
PO: 2011 is the 10th anniversary of the founding of APEC. How do you evaluate the development of APEC over the last decade?
Razov: It is true that APEC has now been around for 10 years, and its summit meeting will be held in Astana, Kazakhstan's capital this summer. The meeting will make some vital decisions regarding the organization's development as well as celebrating the anniversary. We cooperate energetically in the security, economic and cultural fields and we expect that the leaders will approve a significant document about drug control, which has been a highlighted topic of APEC.
Moreover, APEC is showing its increasing attraction in more and more regions. Even countries in other regions have shown their interests and wish to establish closer and various relationships. As a result, an important document will be passed to regulate this process.
Some other concerned issues will also be discussed on the summit meeting including founding the APEC University, on which work has already being commenced. As for bilateral cooperation, Russia and China coordinating their positions in the frame of APEC when necessary shows the value of this organization.
