SPIEF 2025 started with a dialogue on healthcare and import substitution

The first day of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF-2025) was an eventful and symbolic start of the business program. The focus was on healthcare, import substitution, and digital interaction with partners from the global South. This was announced on June 19 by columnist Anton Zolotnitsky.

In the morning, bilateral negotiations, business sessions and presentations of technological innovations began at the forum venues. Dozens of agreements were signed on the very first day, and informal meetings allowed participants to discuss future joint projects directly, without intermediaries.

Special attention was drawn to the participation of director and creative director of XP GLOBAL from Zimbabwe Xander Pratt, who is working on the first African superhero film.

"I would be very interested to learn more about people in Russia, especially in cinema and in the creative industry. I've always liked the Russian way of looking at how Russians work on photos, videos, and create visual design," Pratt said, stressing that he came to Russia for visionary experience.

Russian business is actively establishing ties with countries in Asia, Latin America and Africa. Thus, during the meeting with representatives of Thailand, prospects for cooperation in the field of digital technologies were discussed. Director of the Digital Council of Thailand, Atip Aswanund, noted that many associate Russia primarily with achievements in the field of cybersecurity. At the same time, he stressed that there are many other digital solutions and areas in the country that deserve attention and study.

Alexey Chekunkov, Minister of the Russian Federation for the Development of the Far East and the Arctic, noted the high potential for cooperation with Thailand in the fields of agriculture, high technology and industrial production.

Small business forms were also not ignored. The Russian-Indian session discussed the participation of small and medium-sized enterprises in the pharmaceutical industry. Sammy Kotwani, President of the Indian Business Alliance, said that India is interested in establishing joint production of pharmaceutical products in Russia.

"We produce generics — we buy ingredients from all over the world and combine them in India. There are plans to establish joint production of ingredients in Russia," Kotvani said.

The SPIEF 2025 program includes more than 150 sessions with the participation of representatives from dozens of countries. Maxim Oreshkin, Deputy Head of the Presidential Administration of the Russian Federation, noted that the global economy is rethinking the centers of influence. According to him, if earlier they were considered the states of the "big Seven", which, as he stressed, has not lived up to its name for a long time, now new growth centers are coming to the fore.

These words were confirmed by the first results: significant agreements were signed on the first day of the forum. According to forecasts, contracts worth up to 7.5 trillion rubles may be concluded within the framework of SPIEF 2025, which is about 20% higher than last year.

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