In his words, the demographic situation in the Russian Far East is rather alarming. Over the past ten years alone, more than one million residents migrated from the Far East to the country's western regions or abroad.
"Since the population of the Russian Far East, including that of the Maritime territory, is diminishing, the shortage of the workforce, especially in construction and agriculture, is acute," the governor noted.
At present, thousands of Chinese farmers and workers who failed to find jobs in China work on the fields and construction sites of the Maritime territory. They grow vegetables and give them for sale, thus providing for themselves and their families.
Chinese construction workers build apartment houses and industrial and social facilities. The need for workforce is growing with the growth of the volume of construction.
In Sergei Darkin's opinion, the strengthening of business cooperation between the Maritime territory and China's neighboring regions has a favorable effect on many spheres of the economy and promotes the development of transport and tourism.
Thus, passenger traffic is constantly growing at the Grodekovo-Suifenhe Russian-Chinese railway crossing. At present, 1,100 passengers cross the two countries' state borders here every day. Passenger transportation has become profitable, with the profitability rate exceeding 20%.
With the political and economic relations between Russia and China improving and strengthening, the volume of passenger traffic between China and the neighboring regions of the Russian Far East has been growing; the exchange of specialists becoming more active, and the number of tourists increasing.
An increase in passenger traffic has promoted the development of the infrastructure in both Russia and China. Modern railway stations have been built in Grodekovo and Suifenhe.
In Sergei Darkin's opinion, workforce from China is indispensable in implementing major investment projects, including the construction of the Pogranichny-Suifenhe commercial and industrial complex.
