A comparative study of common economic, social and other indicators and specifics of the two regions shows that there is a considerable potential for cooperation.
Area
U.S. West Coast states occupy an area of 2,457,800 square kilometers, which is more than 25% of the total area of the United States.
Russian Far East occupies and area of 6,215,900 square kilometers or 36.4% of Russia's total area. Its territory is 2.5 times larger than that of the U.S. West Coast states and equals to 64.3% of the entire territory of the United States.
About 65% of the U.S. West Coast area are the territory of Alaska State. About 50% of Russian Far East territory are occupied by the Republic of Sakha.
Population
As of mid-1998, the U.S. West Coast states had a population of 43.4 million or 16.1% of the total U.S. population.
The population number in the Russian Far East in early 1999 was about 7.3 million, or 5% of Russia's total. So, the population of the U.S. West Coast states is nearly 6 times larger than that of the Russian Far East.
75% of the population of the U.S. West Coast reside in California. Over 30% of the population of Russian Far East reside in Primorsky Krai and about 21% in Khabarovsky Krai.
Gross Regional Product and Gross Product of States
A comparative analysis of the volume of GDP, generated by West Coast states and Russian Far East regions, can be performed on the basis of the purchasing power parity of the American and Russian currencies - the dollar and the ruble. Buying power parity for Russia in 1995 was 2,653 rubles (old denomination) per one U.S. dollar.
In 1995 U.S. West Coast states collectively generated GDP valued at a total of 1,204.0 billion USD, which was many times more than the total GDP generated by RFE regions and nearly two times more than Russia's national GDP (614.8 billion USD in terms of purchasing power parity). 76% of this product was generated in California and about 13% in Washington State. In 1996% the states of the West Coast accounted for 16.6% of U.S. national GDP.
The gross regional product generated by Russian Far East regions in 1995 did not exceed 3% (in purchasing power parity terms) of that produced by West Coast states. Highest percentages of the regional GDP were generated by the Republic of Sakha (25%), Primorsky Krai (24%) and Khabarovsky Krai (19%). In 1998 Russian Far East accounted for over 6% of the national GDP.
Per-capita production of GDP is a more objective indicator. In 1995 this ratio in the Russian Far East was 14% of that in the U.S. West Coast states.
Foreign Trade: Exports
In 1997 U.S. West Coast states exported 145.2 billion USD worth of produce, of which California accounted for more than 71%. Second-largest exporter was Washington State (22%).
Exports of the Russian Far East regions in 1997 amounted to 3.1 billion USD (including indirect exports, namely, fish exports from outside Russia's customs border). The distribution of export sales between RFE regions was more even than between West Coast states. The largest exporter was Primorsky Krai with more than 37% of the region's total (44% of its exports was fish exports from outside Russia's customs border). Other major exporters were Sakhalin Oblast (over 21%), Khabarovsky Krai (17%) and Kamchatka Oblast (16%).
One of indicators of the degree of an economy's openness is its export quota - the ratio of the value of exports to GDP. In 1997 Russian Far East's export quota was 10.6% (in terms of the yearly average rate of the dollar). The export quota of the United States in 1996 was practically the same - 10.5%.
Another indicator of the degree of an economy's openness is per-capita volume of exports. In 1997 this ratio in the Russian Far East was some 420 USD and in the U.S. West Coast it was 3,389 USD in the same year.
0.4% of the exports from the West Coast in 1997 was directed to Russia, of which more than 50% went to the Russian Far East. RFE regions directed 3.1% (65.5 mln USD) of their exports to the United States in 1998 and accounted for 1.1% of Russia's total exports to the United States in that year.