Kurnikova M.V., Bolgov S.A., Chernyaev E.V. A “GATEWAY TO ASIA” OR A NEW PERIPHERALITY? ON THE ROLE OF NEW TRANSPORT CORRIDORS IN REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT (THE EXAMPLE OF THE RUSSIAN

The Bulletin of the Institute of Economics of the Russian Academy of Sciences № 3/2026. Economics and Management.

.xml JATS XML

Marina V. Kurnikova

Cand. Sci. (Econ.), Associate Professor, Assistant Professor of Regional Economics and Management Department, Samara State University of Economics, Samara, Russia

ORCID: 0000-0002-9568-2774

Sergey A. Bolgov

Cand. Sci. (Econ.), Associate Professor, Assistant Professor of Economics and Management Department, Volga State Transport University, Samara, Russia

ORCID: 0000-0002-9663-0597

Evgeny V. Chernyaev

Dr. Sci. (Econ.), Head of the Military Unit Department 35684, Samara, Russia

ORCID: 0009-0003-9646-5995

A “GATEWAY TO ASIA” OR A NEW PERIPHERALITY? ON THE ROLE OF NEW TRANSPORT CORRIDORS IN REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT (THE EXAMPLE OF THE RUSSIAN–CHINESE BORDER REGION)

32-62

463.09 KB

Full text

In theory and practice, transport and logistics are often viewed as drivers of economic development. This is especially to be expected in a situation of causal shock – when, after 2022, Russia’s foreign trade “reoriented eastward,” with a significant portion of trade flows now passing through the Russian–Chinese border. What impact does this trade flow have on the development of border regions? Does it act as a true driver of regional development? This is the key question of the study. Using the difference-in-differences method to compare two groups of border regions—those bordering and those not bordering China—before and after 2022, it was shown that, despite a significant increase in both the volume of foreign trade transactions and the turnover of logistics-related organizations, the former turned out to be closer to the status of a “transport periphery” than to a stable “gateway to Asia.” The development of foreign trade was not accompanied by a systemic, faster growth of key indicators in the group of regions bordering China compared to other border regions; the positive effect was localized. This led to the predominantly intensive use of transport and logistics capacity and, as a result, did not translate into a systemic stimulus for the economic development of regions bordering China. The role of transport and logistics as determinants of regional development was “compressed” by the dominance of the instrumental function of transit. The concept of “border as a resource” is not automatically realized under these conditions; it is necessary to align transport policy with the diversification of the economies of border territories.

Keywords: border regions, transport and logistics support, Russia–China cooperation, sanctions, acceleration/deceleration effects, difference-in-differences method, regional development, cargo flows, infrastructure.

JEL: R11, R42

EDN: WPCHXU

DOI: https://doi.org/10.52180/2073-6487_2026_3_32_62

References

Osipov V.S. Political Economy of Sanctions: Subject and Method // The Bulletin of the Institute of Economics of the Russian Academy of Sciences. 2015. No. 2. Pp. 102–115. (In Russ.). EDN: TPKNTN.
Zemtsov S.P., Voloshinskaya A.A. Russian Regional Resilience under Sanctions // Journal of the New Economic Association. 2024. No. 3 (64). Pp. 54–83. (In Russ.). DOI: 10.31737/22212264_2024_3_54–83. EDN: RXIDCD.
Van Houtum H., Van der Velde M. The power of cross-border labour market immobility // Tijdschrift voor economische en sociale geografie. 2004. Vol. 95. No. 1. Pp. 100–107. DOI: 10.1111/j.0040–747X.2004.00296.x
Scott J.W. Constructing familiarity in Finnish–Russian Karelia: Shifting uses of history and the re–interpretation of regions // European Planning Studies. 2013. Vol. 21. No. 1. Pp. 75–92. DOI: 10.1080/09654313.2012.716240.
Lundén T. On the boundary: about humans at the end of territory. Södertörns högskola, 2004.
Joachim B. Cross–Border Cooperation: Challenges and Perspectives for the Horizontal Dimension of European Integration // Administrative Consulting. 2018. No. 1 (109). Pp. 56–62. (In Russ.). DOI: 10.22394/1726–1139–2018–1–560–62. EDN0: YUDHDC.
Faludi A. Centenary paper: European spatial planning: past, present and future // Town Planning Review. 2010. Vol. 81. No 1. Pp. 1–22. DOI: 10.3828/tpr.2009.21
Capello R. Cohesion policies and the creation of a European identity: The role of territorial identity // JCMS: Journal of Common Market Studies. 2018. Vol. 56. No. 3. Pp. 489–503. DOI: 10.1111/jcms.12611.
Kolosov V.A., Zotova M.V., Sebentsov A.B. Barrier Function of Russian Borders // Izvestiya Rossiiskoi akademii nauk. Seriya geograficheskaya. 2016. No. 5. Pp. 8–20. (In Russ.). DOI: 10.15356/0373–2444–2016–5–8–20. EDN: WLWYGT.
Bezrukov L.A., Vorobyev N.V., Emelyanova N.V. et al. The Trans–Siberian transport corridor and development of urban agglomerations // Environmental transformation and sustainable development in the Asian region. IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science. 2020 International Online Conference on Environmental Transformation and Sustainable Development in Asian Region, EnTransAsia 2020. IOP Publishing Ltd, 2021. P. 012034. EDN: VDMOUO.
Lapenko M.V. Kazakh–Russian Border in the Context of the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) // Вестник Евразийского национального университета им. Л.Н. Гумилева. Серия: Политические науки. Регионоведение. Востоковедение. Тюркология. 2021. No. 4 (137). Pp. 163–171. DOI: 10.32523/2616-6887/2021-137-4-163-171. EDN: LHLZNW.
Bardal A.B. The Transport System of the Far Eastern Federal District: Current State and Prospects of the Eastern Railway Range // Regionalistics. 2021. Vol. 8. No. 3. Pp. 21–31. (In Russ.). DOI: 10.14530/reg.2021.3.21. EDN: AZBSZC.
Bardal A.B. Transport Complex of the Far East: National and Local Tasks // Regionalistics. 2021. Vol. 8. No. 6. Pp. 53–67. (In Russ.). DOI: 10.14530/reg.2021.6.53. EDN: JGIFOG.
Khmeleva G.A., Skreblov N.I. Global Competitiveness of Russian Regions: Assessment Methodology in the Context of Strategic Challenges // MIR (Modernization. Innovation. Research). 2025. Vol. 16. No. 2. Pp. 298–315. (In Russ.). DOI: 10.18184/2079–4665.2025.16.2.298–315. EDN: DTICYQ.
Epifanova N.S. Border Regions in the Context of Location Theories // Public Administration. 2023. Vol. 25. No. 3 (143). Pp. 31–37. (In Russ.). DOI: 10.22394/2070-8378-2023-25-3-31-37. EDN: PXLUHE.
Lazareva V.V., Vlasova N.Yu. Differentiated Approach as a Key Principle for the Formation and Implementation of Regional Policy towards Border Territories // Regional Economics: Theory and Practice. 2025. Vol. 23. No. 5. Pp. 66–79. (In Russ.). DOI: 10.24891/re.23.5.66. EDN: LWYSFT.
Minakir P.A. Foreign Trade Factor of Force Majeure Economy: Spatial Maneuver // Spatial Economics. 2023. Vol. 19. No. 1. Pp. 7–19. (In Russ.). DOI: 10.14530/se.2023.1.007–019. EDN: GYFIPY.
Minakir P.A. World Economy: The Perfect Storm // Spatial Economics. 2022. Vol. 18. No. 2. Pp. 7–37. (In Russ.). DOI: 10.14530/se.2022.2.007–037 EDN: IVXNYC.

Manuscript submission date: 02.04.2026

Manuscript acceptance date: 28.05.2026

For citation:

Kurnikova M.V., Bolgov S.A., Chernyaev E.V. A «Gateway to Asia» or a new peripherality? On the role of new transport corridors in regional development (the example of the Russian-Chinese border region) // Vestnik Instituta Ekonomiki Rossiyskoy Akademii Nauk. 2026. № 3. Pp. 32-62. (In Russ.). https://doi.org/10.52180/2073-6487_2026_3_32_62 EDN: WPCHXU

Creative Commons 4.0