As governor of the appallingly run Primorsky Krai (Maritime Territory) of Russia's Far East, he is a living symbol of the problems facing foreign companies in Russia.
In Mr Yeltsin's time, attempts to bring under control the far-eastern MaritimeTerritory foundered when the local armed forces turned out to be under the thumb of the fearsomely idiosyncratic provincial governor.
Chinese maritime and aerial probing in the disputed territory in the East China Sea has escalated security concerns and also damaged economic relations.
Traffic at the Kwai Chung terminal, for instance, was up by 12.8% in the first quarter compared with the same period in 2002, according to the territory's Port and Maritime Board.
China and Japan-the United States' closest ally in Asia and a defense treaty partner-are locked in a heated maritime dispute over the Senkakus, which China claims as its territory.