Eastern Economic Forum plenary session to begin | Photo: Eastern Economic Forum

The plenary session of the 8th Eastern Economic Forum (EEF) will take place in Vladivostok today.

This year’s EEF will run from September 10-13. The Forum was established by Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2015 to promote economic cooperation between Russia and other Asia-Pacific states.

The EEF subsequently became a successful annual fixture and secured large investment sums between Russia and other East and Southeast Asian countries. Several important leaders attended previous forums, including Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and then-Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who both attended in 2019. Back in 2021, representatives of around 60 countries attended.

However, since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the forum’s appeal waned among foreign investors and representatives. While the EEF expects around 7,000 participants this year, the majority will be Russian. Most foreign dignitaries attending will be from China, as well as a handful of ministers and diplomats from other countries, including India, Myanmar, and Vietnam.

President Putin is scheduled to participate personally in today’s plenary session. He will likely use the occasion to demonstrate his enduring global stature despite Western sanctions. However, his appearance will likely receive little attention outside of Russia and no major investment agreements are to be expected. Putin likely still hopes for some agreements to be concluded with China, such as on joint infrastructure development and maritime cooperation.