Putin Looks East for Growth as Indebted Europe Loses Sheen
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Russia, faced with a debt crisis in its top trading partner, is pivoting east for the trade and investment President Vladimir Putin needs to meet the economic targets he set for his third term.
The world’s largest energy exporter plans to construct an oil refinery on the Pacific coast and may send grain eastward as Toyota Motor Corp. and Mazda Motor Corp. consider building Russian plants. The government has spent more than $20 billion to showcase Vladivostok, 4,000 miles east of Moscow, as leaders gather for this week’s Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit.