Russia: Beyond oil & gas

‘What do you find on the last six pages of a Lada instruction manual?

Bus and train timetables’

Popular Russian joke

A piece which caught my eye in the Financial Times this week contains a message which has been doing the rounds lately: that Russia’s worsening relations with the EU and US are pushing it into a relationship with China in which it will inevitably be the inferior partner. As I have previously discussed in “Russia’s East I: An Introduction”, Sino-Russian cooperation is longstanding and therefore the surprise which many commentators have expressed at recent deals between ‘the bear and the dragon’ is misplaced. continue reading

UK-China Trade Deal

It turns out it’s not only the Russian authorities who are looking to step up trade with China! Last week the UK Chancellor, George Osborne, announced he would be signing a £2.4 billion trade deal as part of an annual Anglo-Chinese dialogue on economics and finance. continue reading

Russian real estate silver linings

Judging by reports in the western media on Russia’s current economic situation, the whole country is in a state of collapse and does not represent a suitable home for foreign capital.

Clearly, this is not the case and some of the world’s top investors recognise that amidst the temporary problems being experienced by some Russian sectors, quality opportunities continue to present themselves.

As I illustrate here with a couple of examples from the world of Russian real estate, the wisest investments can sometimes be staring you in the face. continue reading

Don’t forget to live whilst you’re young!

Live as if you were to die tomorrow;

Learn as if you were to live forever

Ghandi

When I was 22, I promised myself, and more importantly my mother-in-law, that by the age of 40, I’d have retired and would be sailing around the world with my family, with all the time in the world to read all the books in the world. That age is fast approaching and I’m still far from fulfilling that dream, and abandoning the security, challenges and mental stimuli of having a job.  continue reading

Studying abroad…

Legend has it that around 400 years ago the Ming Dynasty Wanli Emperor sent a letter of goodwill to the Russian Tsar but the missive simply sat on one side, ignored and unread for five decades, as there was no one at the Russian court to translate it. Even if this tale is apocryphal, it is clear that the situation today is somewhat different.

Over the past few weeks I have been studying for my exams in the language of the world’s largest economy, but one thing I have allowed myself during study breaks was a reflection on the broader educational links between Russia and China. Not only is this topic timely in light of widespread discussions of Russia’s expanding eastward links, but also I wanted to explore it given my wider interest in education and multilingualism as a vital tool for success in international business. continue reading

Asia’s fastest growing economies

Whilst Russia’s markets are fluctuating in line with international opinion, I want to turn attention to a new EIU report released earlier this month on Asian economic growth. As a cursory look over my previous blogs will show, I believe China reigns as the leading global economy, and the EIU’s latest report only confirmed that its economy is in a league of its own. Even with its vast size, it is still predicted to expand a further 7% next year. continue reading

Financial Times: Where to spend a million on real estate

FT deputy editor, John Thornhill, hits the nail on the head when he identifies Russia as the place he would spend £1 million on real estate. Last week seven FT writers explained where they would splash out on property if they had disposable cash. Thornhill notes that not only is Russia a profitable place to live, but my “magical” home town of St Petersburg isn’t a bad location to enjoy “culture, history and raw life”. continue reading