Trade with China. How many wagons with natural resources are exported abroad?

Western sanctions are pushing Russia into the "embrace" of the East. China has been the main partner in recent years. Trade between states was previously characterized by huge turnover, but now new prospects have appeared. However, the question arises as to how profitable it is. In particular, I am interested in the question concerning natural resources, because this topic has been heard for several years.

The situation with deforestation in Russia

The famous traveler Pavel Pashkov considers the situation with the felling of trees catastrophic. This can also be seen on satellite images. Where forests were once visible, there are now huge bald patches. 

The traveler listed the Russian regions that suffer from catastrophic tree felling more than others:

• Irkutsk region;
• Krasnoyarsk Territory;
• Tomsk region.

This list will soon be replenished by Buryatia, Pashkov is sure. He noted that a forest land lease agreement has already been signed with China. The document provides an opportunity to use natural resources for 49 years.

The traveler notes that so far the volume of deforestation has not reached critical. But if the forest is destroyed, then at this rate in two decades there will be steppes and swamps instead. 

Pashkov drew attention to the fact that mass felling of trees was allegedly banned in China. The natural resource is protected there. However, there is completely different data on the Internet. According to them, trees are being actively cut down in China, and more than half of their need for wood is being covered.

Chinese companies in Russia are granted tax preferences for the lease of forests. China has also introduced duties on wood exports, which makes purchases in the Russian Federation the most profitable for the country. 

The representative of the Russian Greenpeace, Mikhail Kreindlin, is also pessimistic. A few years ago, he made a forecast according to which, after a while, forests from Tomsk to Primorye will be almost completely destroyed. They will thin out in Siberia and the Far East. All this will lead to terrible consequences: lakes will dry up, the water level in rivers will decrease, ecosystems will become impoverished.

Why is a lot of wood exported to China

According to the latest official data, 564 timber enterprises from China operate in Russia. However, these are statistics from 2018. Newer data could not be found in the open spaces of the Runet.

Almost all of them are located in Siberia. The local forest is a tasty morsel for the largest Russian partner. And this is one of the reasons for speculation about this. So, the popular opinion is that China is going to cut down all the trees in Siberia. Allegedly, years later, the region will have a bare desert instead of forests.

The journalists who conducted the investigation claim that this is an exaggeration. The specialists of the project "Time-forward" were engaged in studying this issue. They conducted an investigation back in 2018.

As a result, journalists managed to find out that China is indeed considered the largest exporter of wood from Russia. Sales volumes are impressive ― about 22 million cubic meters annually! This is an impressive indicator. But there is nothing strange about it. This is the official figure, but the real one can reach 40 million cubic meters. 

China is one of the largest producers of goods of various groups, from toys to furniture and appliances. Therefore, wood, like other raw materials, is in demand here. Every year, the eastern state needs about 170 million cubic meters of forest. China covers slightly less than 60% of the required amount with its needs, but this figure may increase in the future. 

In Russia, China buys a lot of wood for a reason. The territory of the Russian Federation is rich in forest. The state has at its disposal a part of the entire world reserve. The second important point is the convenience of transportation. 

The quality of the forest also plays a key role for the PRC. China intensively buys valuable breeds. Among them are Manchurian ash, Korean cedar and Mongolian oak.

Why Chinese companies are actively cutting down forests in Russia

Pavel Pashkov said that entrepreneurs from China have many ways to make money on a tree from Russia. One of the most profitable valuable breeds is considered to be the Mongolian oak. In the East, it is given almost a sacred meaning. The powerful Mongolian oak is considered a symbol of strength, and the older it is, the stronger it is. Trees that are 100 years old or more are particularly valuable. They make furniture out of them, which is very popular. Buyers pay huge sums for such exhibits.

At the same time, forests with Mongolian oaks are extremely important for the Himalayan bear population. They feed on acorns and hide in tall trees from tigers. Massive logging of Mongolian oaks contributes to the extinction of bears.  

Pashkov drew attention to the clear Lake Baikal, surrounded by taiga. This region has also suffered from deforestation, which has not stopped until now. But it is in this region that 10% of the Russian forest is concentrated.

The answer to the question "Why is China actively cutting down trees in Russia?» simple. Because entrepreneurs from China have such an opportunity and it is profitable for them. But not everything is so clear here.

Is China to blame for the massive deforestation of the Russian forest

While some accuse China of encroaching on a valuable resource, others believe that the problem is clearly exaggerated. In particular, this is evidenced by the investigation of the project "Time-forward". Journalists found out that Chinese entrepreneurs deliberately do not cut down forests. This is done by citizens of the Russian Federation. Entrepreneurs from China, although they participate in illegal transactions, do not initiate them. Therefore, it is impossible to put on them all the responsibility for barbaric logging in circumvention of the law.

Discussing the destruction of forests for some reason, they overlook the fact that many lands suffer from fires. Unauthorized landfills are often formed at the sites of tree felling. That's where forest fires occur, which destroy even more valuable natural resources. 

How the forest is protected in Russia

In China, wood from the Russian Federation is supplied mainly in the form of roundwood. It is an untreated tree with a low cost. The government has already set a task in the near future to reduce the export of roundwood and, on the contrary, to increase the export of more expensive lumber. 

Protection of the forest was puzzled at the beginning of the XXI century. So, back in 2008, customs duties were introduced on the export of untreated wood. This has significantly reduced its popularity. At the same time, the active development of domestic sawmills began.

Later we decided to implement the Unified State Register of Legal Entities system. It involves tracking each tree from the place of the log house to the border. The result was already visible in the first year of use. The number of detected violations in the field of illegal logging has increased 6 times.

In recent years, officials have passed laws that oblige to restore the forest. After cutting down trees during the calendar year, it is necessary to plant seedlings in the same volume. However, there is an alternative. It is enough to contribute an equivalent amount to one of the funds engaged in reforestation.