IBS CEO says Chinese tech firms in Russia are ‘partners’

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04:14

Svetlana Balanova, the CEO of IBS – a leading Russian IT service company – says she Chinese tech companies coming to Russia are partners, not competitors.

“At this point of time, we don't see any competition. We only see Chinese companies coming to Russia as potential partners or existing partners,” said Balanova.

Her company works closely with Chinese brand Huawei, with Balanova calling the relationship "the highest level of partnership."

“We are very happy to see that one of the leading Chinese companies is having high focus on Russia, is developing its business in Russia in a way that we are used to working with other global corporations,” the CEO noted.

Svetlana Balanova, CEO of Russian IT services company IBS Group, in Moscow, Russia January 25, 2018. /VCG Photo

Her outlook on Chinese companies reflects her greater philosophy about finding the best technology for their customers, no matter where it comes from. “We look at all the technologies and all the vendors in the world. And we select for our customers the best technologies and best companies that suit their needs best of all."

Another sector in which the two countries can cooperate is e-commerce, with Alibaba having a strong presence in Russia. Balanova noted that leading Chinese companies such as Alibaba help set the market standard for Russia.

“When they come to the country, they increase the market. It is not only competition, but they contributed to a lot of market growth, market development. So from this point of view, I think they are setting up standards that are very important to grow the market, and we all as businesses and consumers, may benefit from it rather than having problems with it,” she told CGTN.

(CGTN’s Wang Yue also contributed to the story.)