NEWS: Russia Looking at China?

An excerpt from the New York Times article below talks about how Russia is looking to China as a political and economic model. This really doesn't make much sense in terms of promoting economic growth because the two nations are drastically different in policy and historical experience. Russia is more politically open then China, but more corrupt. Economically, their investment and manufacturing are very different because of resources and education levels. On infrastructure policy alone, China never had much of a rail based system, whereas Russia used rail primarily for industrial purposes. Maybe for size and political party they are similar, but the communism in China was vastly different than the communism in Russia.

Russia and the CIS as a whole need to be looking west, not east. Here's part of the article:

"Whatever the motivation, Russia in recent years has started moving toward the Chinese model politically and economically. After the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, Russia plunged into capitalism haphazardly, selling off many industries and loosening regulation. Under Mr. Putin, the government has reversed course, seizing more control over many sectors.

Today, both countries govern with a potent centralized authority, overseeing economies with a mix of private and state industries, although the Russians have long seemed less disciplined in doing so.

Corruption is worse in Russia than China, according to global indexes, and foreign companies generally consider Russia’s investment climate less hospitable as well, in part because of less respect for property rights.

Russia has also been unable to match China in modernizing roads, airports, power plants and other infrastructure. And Russia is grappling with myriad health and social problems that have reduced the average life expectancy for men to 60. One consequence is a demographic crisis that is expected to drag down growth."
Rest of the NYT Article