Emerging Eurasian Continental Integration: Trade, Investments, and Infrastructure

Vinokurov E. (2014) Emerging Eurasian Continental Integration: Trade, Investments, and Infrastructure. Global Journal of Emerging Market Economies. Vol. 6(1): 69-93.

Eurasia is a massive and diverse supercontinent that stretches for 8,232 km from Cape Dezhnev in the east to Cabo da Roca in the west and 8505 km from Cape Chelyuskin in the north to Cape Piai in the south. Eurasia currently accounts for twothirds of the world’s population and 60 percent of its GDP. The significance of Eurasia is likely to rise in the decades to come (Figure 1). This paper focuses on applied matters of emerging Eurasian economic integration, namely on trade, investments, and infrastructure. Our scope of research is continental, concentrating on the emerging economic linkages in Eurasia. In our view, elaborated elsewhere in more detail,1 Eurasian continental integration could become a key developmental force, driven by the integration of energy trade, non-energy trade and transport, capital and labour flows, tourism, the drug trade, and epidemiological threats. A key question for the 21st century is whether or not the main continental powers will allow this integration—which represents a catch-up process in the historic, worldwide drive for globalization—to proceed smoothly and efficiently by cooperating.

Background paper for the Eurasia Emerging Markets Forum, September 2013. This paper focuses on applied matters of emerg¬ing Eurasian economic integration, namely on trade, investments, and infrastructure. The scope of research is continental, concentrating on the emerging economic linkages in Eurasia. А subsequent aсademic version will appear as: Vinokurov E. (2014) Emerging Eurasian Continental Integration: Trade, Investments, and Infrastructure. Global Journal of Emerging Market Economies. Vol. 6(1), pp. 1-34.