Trade relations of China and Russia in a covid era: Pollock crisis.

At the end of December 2020, Chinese ports completely stopped accepting Russian fishing vessels because of the threat of "importation" of coronavirus infection. The situation is a disaster for the Russian fishing industry: 61% of the fish caught by Russians is exported to China, but since the beginning of 2021, when the pollock fishing season in the Sea of Okhotsk began, Chinese market has not been available, and Russian domestic capacity is currently unable to process the amount of fish produced by Russian fishermen. The price of pollock has already fallen sharply because of the restrictions imposed by COVID-19. Having established a lockout in the ports, China forced to reduce the price even more significantly. The situation is catastrophic for Russian Far Eastern fishermen, so in addition to negotiations with Chinese partners it is necessary to look for alternative markets, and also to stimulate domestic demand for fish and fish products. The Russian authorities have declared the need to create a "fish archipelago" - plants, refrigeration and logistics facilities on the Pacific coast of Russian Far East, from Kamchatka to the southern territories of Primorye. But this project is still only in plans, meanwhile Russia's fishing industry is suffering enormous losses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]