Problems of Russia`s participation in the system of international division of labor at the present stage
Abstract. The article investigates Russia`s participation in the modern system of the international division of labor (IDL), identifies challenges arisingfrom geopolitical changes, as well as new opportunities associated with them. The commodity and country structure of Russia`s exports and imports for 2022 is analyzed, the main trading partners and traded goods are identified. It is noted that China is expected to become Russia`s largest foreign trade partner. At the same time, the Russian-Chinese trade and economic cooperation is not in favor of Russia. The latter supplies China mainly with raw materials - the minimally processed goods that contain the lowest added value - in exchange for industrial science-intensive products. Such a commodity structure of trade is partly determined by Western restrictions and the corresponding geopolitical context. The consolidation of this commodity structure for a longer or shorter period will slow down Russia`s achievement of technological sovereignty, threaten the national interests and security of the country, and therefore changes are needed. The problems of the international division of labor faced by our country related to the sanctions pressure of the collective West are considered. New opportunities for improving Russia`s economic situation have been identified, the main conclusions about the prospects have been drawn, and mechanisms for participation in the international division of labor on equal terms, taking into account national interests, have been proposed. In particular, the mobilization of domestic lending is recommended, especially in technologically dependent, knowledge-intensive industries - aircraft and shipbuilding.
Keywords: international division of labor, global supply chains, international trade, commodity structure, country structure, export, import, trading partners, economic development.
Highlights:
- in order to determine Russia`s place in the system of the international division of labor, its foreign trade model in terms of commodity and country structure has been studied; Russia`s main trading partner is China, which ranks first both as an importer of Russian goods and as a supplier of goods to Russia;
- Russia imports high-tech goods with high added value, i.e. final consumer goods; such a position in IDL induces dependence and threatens the country`s sovereignty, since the operation of core industries that are vital to the economy relies on imports;
- the main deduction from the restrictions is as follows: technologies and innovations for processing resources and independently meetingthe needs of the core industries are to be developed within the country; this is a necessary condition for national security;
- drawing foreign investments may have unfavorable consequences for the country; foreign investors, especially these from China, create jobs primarily for their own employees and build infrastructure that remains either in their ownership or under their control and influence; this scheme of the so-called "soft power" is currently being implemented by China in African countries, as well as across the post-Soviet territories in Central Asia; domestic lending, provided that the Central Bank reduces the key rate, seems a more reliable instrument.
Natalia I. Ivanova, Maria D. Melihova - Samara State University of Economics, Samara, Russia