The Role of State Policy in Attracting of Foreign Direct Investment to the Far East of Russia

Abstract

In recent years (since late 2013) the federal government has intensified the policy of foreign investors attracting to the Russian Far East, proclaiming the need to integrate this macro-region in the Asia Pacific region and creating development institutions of the Far East, as well as preferential conditions for investors – the territories of priority socio-economic development, free port of Vladivostok. Investors are given massive tax preferences, regime of free customs zone, a number of other preferences. However, from the point of view of foreign investors many instruments of state investment policy – rather its lack, than advantage. Investment policy of regional authorities in the Far East is currently ranked low, in the National ranking of investment climate in subjects of the Russian Federation Far East regions, with the exception of Khabarovsk Krai, located in the second half. By the volume of foreign direct investment (FDI) stock Sakhalin oblast stands out among the Russian Far East regions, occupying on this indicator the second place among all subjects of the Russian Federation due to the action of agreements on production section, which appeared in 1990- ies. The shares of other Far Eastern regions in the FDI stock in Russia is still small. The state’s efforts in recent years to attract FDI to the Far East led to some increase in the volume of FDI stock in the macro-region, but not in all subjects of the Russian Fed eration. Preferential regimes are increasingly attracted domestic rather than foreign investors. Among the projects with participation of foreign capital projects focused on the domestic market of the Far East (agriculture, services) and the use of macro-region natural resources dominate. Projects on creation of manufacturing industries which products can be delivered beyond the Far East, including for export, yet few. The prospects for improvement, given the existing experience of the gradual development of new regions by foreign investors, but it requires improvement of the state investment policy both at federal and regional levels.