The paper analyses the contemporary state, potential benefits and advantages of embedding Irkutsk region in the conception “Silk Road Economic Belt”. The author has found that the Irkutsk region has a poor relation to this project so far, but it has the perspective to raise commodity turnover with nearby countries. The increase in throughput capacity of transport routes and building new highways can strengthen the export-resource role of the Irkutsk region; it will increase the logging amount and the export of raw materials to China, particularly if there is no massive investment to industry and manufacturing. The author has proved that the realization of the conception Silk Road Economic Belt will be effective in conjunction with the project “Novy Angarstroy” which involves creating metallurgical and metalworking industry and machinery manufacturing in the Irkutsk region using undeveloped reserves of the Baikal-Amur Mainline. The project of the “China – Mongolia – Russia” transport corridor, being a part of Silk Road Economic Belt, should include the Mogzon – Novy Uoyan railroad to involve north territories of the Irkutsk region into transportation of export products reducing the distance. The Silk Road Fund, founded within the Silk Road Economic Belt concept, can be effectively used to provide investments in medium-term and long-term projects in the Irkutsk region, such as building infrastructure, resource development and industry. 

Fartyshev Arseniy Nikolaevich, Lead Engineer, Laboratory of Geo-Recourse Studies and Political Geography, Institute of Geography V. B. Sochava SB RAS, 1, Ulan-Batorskaya st., Irkutsk, 664033, Russian Federation, tel.: 8(950)0770597, e-mail: fartyshev.an@gmail.com

Fartyshev A. N. Irkutsk Region in the Conception «Silk Road» Economic Belt. The Bulletin of Irkutsk State University. Series Political Science and Religion Studies. 2018, vol. 26, pp. 37-45. https://doi.org/10.26516/2073-3380.2018.26.37 (in Russian)

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