Abstract: This article examines the features and main problems of Vladivostok as a large city in the Russian Far East and an important hub connecting Russia and China. The Russian Far East is a vast region rich in resources and focused on the vast market of the Asia-Pacific region. However, in recent years, a number of reasons have weakened the basis for the development of a comprehensive strategic partnership between Russia and China. After the start of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict in 2022, Russia actively "looks to the east" and creates a model of economic development focused on the Asia-Pacific region. The Chinese initiative "One Belt, One Road" and the strategy of comprehensive openness have created conditions for the development of cooperation between the Northeast of China and the Russian Far East. In order to promote the accelerated development of the Far East, Russia is actively creating cities with advanced socio-economic development and hopes to improve business conditions in the Far East through a number of measures such as: improving infrastructure, providing tax incentives and simplifying administrative procedures in order to increase its investment attractiveness, increase employment and contribute to the economic development of the region, which will lead to the rise of the entire national economy. The following methods of scientific research were used in the work: the method of analysis and synthesis; generalized method; classification method; specific method; systematic method; phenomenological method. The main conclusions of the study are that in the overall strategic context of the modern world, China and Russia should gradually strengthen their complementary advantages and local industrial cooperation between the two countries. Vladivostok, as the fastest growing city in the Far East, has a great influence on regional cooperation between Russia and China. China has always been Russia's largest partner in the Far East in terms of bilateral trade, foreign investment and financial participation in recent years, so how to make rational use of Vladivostok's advantages and how to solve Vladivostok's current problems (for example, transport problems, demographic problems and the investment market for enterprises of the two sides) is the way to achieve the common development of both countries.

Keywords: customs administration, economic development, demographic structure, transportation network, international transportation corridor, free port, strategic cooperation, competitiveness, socio-economic, strategic partnership

Abstract: This article considers the ways of international students recruiting in Russian universities using as an example the Peoples' Friendship University of Russia named after Patrice Lumumba. As a leading university in the fields of working with international students RUDN University uses a variety of ways to attract students from Europe and Latin America. The aim of the work is to identify commonalities and differences in working with international students from Europe and Latin America, taking into account the peculiarities, level of economic and social development of the regions, their native languages and planned field of studies among applicants. The methodology used in the article is a comparative analysis of the methods of recruiting European and Latin American citizens to study at the RUDN University. In addition, the comparison uses the real practice of the Peoples' Friendship University of Russia named after Patrice Lumumba in recruiting international citizens from Europe and Latin America. The results of consideration show the effectiveness of the RUDN University methods used in the recruiting of European and Latin American students, as well as usefulness in their further implementation. The novelty lies in the comparison of the methods of international applicants recruiting from two regions – Europe and Latin America – for studies to RUDN University. The author concludes that it is advisable to operate Russian language centers, profile classes, resource centers, hold Open Olympiads to recruit talented young people to study at the RUDN University. It is also possible to continue working with recruiting companies and participation in international fairs. The possibility of introducing existing practices not only into the Russian, but also into the global educational space is being considered.

Keywords: educational fair, profile class, resource center, center of Russian language, international students, international cooperation, international education, Latin America, Europe, recruiting company

Abstract: The African diaspora in Russia has a long and complex history, dating back to the era of the Soviet Union. Despite facing significant challenges, the African diaspora in Russia has made important contributions to Russian society and has the potential to play a key role in strengthening Africa-Russia relations. This article provides an overview of the history of the African diaspora in Russia, its contributions to Russian society, and the ways in which it can contribute to Africa-Russia relations. Drawing on existing literature and case studies, the paper analyses the challenges and opportunities facing the African diaspora in Russia and provides recommendations for policymakers seeking to strengthen Africa-Russia relations. The main conclusions from this article are recommendations for policymakers. The growing economic ties between Africa and Russia provide opportunities for future development, but policymakers must address the challenges facing the African diaspora in Russia to fully realize this potential. Policymakers can strengthen Africa-Russia relations and create a more inclusive and equitable society for all by promoting anti-discrimination policies, supporting African students and entrepreneurs, increasing cultural exchange and dialogue, and considering the African diaspora as partners and not instrument to promote its own interest. This will go a long way to improve the image of Russia abroad since the diaspora always act as a bridge to other world regions.

Keywords: post-Soviet era, adaptation problems, Pan-Africanism, Russia, Contributions of African diaspora, Soft Power, Foreign Policy, Russo-African relations, African diaspora, policymakers

Abstract: This article is dedicated to examination of a large and rapidly developing community of the State of Israel – the “Russian Street”, and its influence upon Israel-Russia relations. The author considers such aspects of the topic as: the differences between “Great Aliyah” of the 1990s and the first wave of repatriation of the 1970s; factors that formed the unique “Russian-Jewish” identity among the “Russian street” representatives; political and economic potential of the “Russian Israel”, key areas of cooperation of two countries, and the role of the “Russian” community thereof. In the course of this research, the author applies the means and procedures of formal logic, specific-sociological approach, and interpretation tools of various sources. The main conclusion lies in the following thesis: if in political regard the community does not produce a decisive influence upon the actions of Israeli authorities, then in economic aspect, it unequivocally contributes to strengthening of economic ties between Israel and Russia. Russia’s initiatives on the development of different forms of economic, cultural and media cooperation can stimulate the expansion of influence of the Russian-speaking community.

Keywords: foreign policy, migration processes, Aliyah, Russian language, Russian lobby, repatriates, Russian Street, Russian-speaking community, the State of Israel, intergovernmental cooperation

Abstract: The subject of this research is the Tao political philosophy of the ancient Chinese text of “Tao Te Ching” as a source of Chinese strategy. The author expounds three aspects of the Tao philosophy: administrative (perception of ideal form of government and political legitimacy), military-diplomatic (preferred types of interaction with other actors and stance on war as a political instrument), and geopolitical-geocultural (perception of culture in its place in the world and correlation of cultural mission with beingness of other actors withing the framework of certain world politics configuration). The scientific novelty of this research consists in a complex analysis of the “Tao Te Ching” texts as a potential paradigm of Chinese strategic culture. “Tao Te Ching” preaches noninvolvement as a method of government and criteria of political legitimacy, defensive pacifism and world politics model of global community of smaller states. A conclusion is made on the importance of study of the influence of Tao paradigm upon the strategy of Chinese national movements for solution of the problem of political strategic agency.

Keywords: chinese internatonal strategy, paradigmatic analysis, cultural topography, international relations philosophy, strategic culture theory, Daoism, just war theory, wu wei, agency problem, popular strategic culture

Abstract: The subject of the study is the ancient Chinese intellectual game Weiqi as a cultural matrix and analog model of the Chinese geopolitical picture of the world. The use of Weiqi as a tool of political analysis is caused, on the one hand, by a growing influence of China on the international arena and the formation of the Chinese school of international relations; on the other hand, by the current trend towards gamification of social processes. Weiqi is viewed from the framework of  "game geopolitics" - a new direction at the junction of game and policy proposed by the author as a study of strategic culture in space perceived through culture. The study uses a comparative-political method, method of studying specific situations (cases), method of analog model construction. The author correlated the categorical apparatus of the game and geopolitical theory, considered the main strategic and tactical elements of the weiqi game used by the PRC in its foreign policy course. The article identifies the main components of the Weiqi strategy– maximization of the long-term profit, capture and retention of the initiative while avoiding direct confrontation, orientation to multi-purpose moves. The author made projections on the further actions of China on the world stage in terms of the weiqi strategy. The author proposes to use Weiqi as a tool for creating the East Asian security architecture within the China-Japan-Korea Trialog.

Keywords: gonghuo pattern, geopolitical field, geoculture, East Asian security, cultural basis of geopolitics, analogical model, game of weiqi, Chinese geopolitics, strategic culture, game geopolitics

Abstract: Formation of the Japanese language and the Japanese ethnos at a certain stage of social and cultural development of which there appeared a need for writing system, are two closely related problems. The Japanese studies traditionally used a hypothesis according to which the Japanese ethnos was formed due to the interaction of the Austronesian (Malay and Polynesian) aboriginal tribes for whom the “bell culture” was typical and the incoming Altai tribes, for whom the “sword culture” was typical during the first centuries A.C. in the Japanese isles. Accordingly, the Altai language superstratum overlapped with the Austronesian substratum, and the superstratum won during the hybridization. The influence of substratum was shown in the lexical and phonetic elements of the new language, which was also reflected in the law of open syllables, which was not typical for the language of the incomers, and the considerable limitation of the well-developed agglutination system, absence of the consonant conjunction at the start of the word, non-distinguishing the phonemes [R/L], and grammatically it showed itself in lack of numeral changes in counting suffixes and abundance of polite words.

Keywords: international relations, politics, Japan, ethnogenesis, language, culture, society, Indo-European peoples, security, values.