As the trade war between China and the U.S. escalates, Russia is coming to Beijing’s rescue by offering a million hectares of land suitable for cultivating soybeans and other agri-products. The Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post has quoted Valery Dubrovskiy, director of investment for Russia’s Far East Investment and Export Agency, as saying that several Chinese companies had already expressed interest in the deal. Despite Russia broadening its footprint in Beijing’s food-security equation, analysts have pointed out that China may not be getting the best cultivable land in the Far East, which has already been parcelled to domestic farmers. Besides, a large influx may trigger local frictions, in view of the perception that Chinese farmers are using excessive fertiliser and pesticides for cultivation.
