Advance in the world academic rankings remains one of the priorities of development of the Russian higher education determined by the President and the Government of the Russian Federation.As an axiom authors adopted the provision that the academic ratings are the tool of assessment of level of competitiveness of the national universities, and a rating position of the university – a peculiar integrated indicator of its competitiveness. Authors offered hierarchy of levels of competitiveness of subjects of the higher education system. The results of the analysis of dynamics and the current position of the Russian universities in the world academic rankings (on the example of the rating of QS), analysis of participation in the rating of the QS universities of the countries of EEU and also analysis of perception of a rating position of the university by potential customers and consumers of educational services are given in the article. By an empirical way it is proved that ones the interest of target audience in a rating position of the university as to an indicator of its competitiveness and as to criterion for selection of higher education institution grows. Methodological basis of the research conducted by authors of article were the principles of scientific knowledge: logical and historical. Methods of the structural, comparative and statistical analysis are applied.

The article analyses the development trends of professional education in the context of global shifts taking place in the modern economy due to its technological development. The transfer of business processes to the digital environment leads to a radical reformatting of the entire sphere of labor, a change in its quality, as well as forms of interaction between people in the production of goods and services. The author identifies the main factors that have a decisive influence on the evolution of the professional activity of the person, radically changing the requirements for the professional education system, both in terms of its content, and methods of getting it. The main factors of the ongoing transformations, according to the author, include the rapid spread of digital platforms, replacing the traditional sectors of the economy, and the automation of cognitive activity based on the algorithmic repetition of a certain set of actions. Analyzing the effect of these factors, the author notes their contradictory effect on the sphere of professional employment and vocational education, comes to the conclusion that it is necessary to radically change the very paradigm of the development of vocational education, implement non-trivial organizational decisions in the process of transforming its institutional infrastructure. The article emphasizes that professional education in modern conditions is becoming not just a connecting link between the labor market and a person, but it is the beginning to fulfill a wide range of social functions. This is especially important in the context of a reduction in the scope of labor in the high-tech digital economy.

The article analyzes the most important changes that have taken place over the past five years in the dynamics and geographical structure of foreign trade relations of the European Union (EU) as the largest entity in the system of modern international commodity trade. It is shown that, despite such rather unfavorable external factors as the increase in general turbulence in world commodity trade, the expansion of the zone of protectionist and sanctions measures, trade conflicts, the EU was able to maintain its dominant position in international commodity exchange. At the same time, the European Union has pushed the main competitors, as the latest statistics show a significant decrease in the share of the North American free trade Association (NAFTA, consisting of the United States, Canada, Mexico) and Japan in international exports. Continuing to pursue a balanced foreign trade policy, the EU used its traditional instruments not only to increase its activity in general and outside the European region, but also to maintain a positive balance of foreign trade. In addition, there are hopes for the resumption of goodneighbourly trade relations between the European Union and the Russian Federation, which have been complicated in recent years by the introduction and extension of sanctions measures by the EU and Russia's response. The author presents new statistical materials, numerous calculated data, for the first time introduced into the domestic scientific circulation.

The article examines the prerequisites, content and effects of changes in the corporate taxation system adopted in the United States under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act in December 2017. The critical flaws and limitations of the US corporate taxation system that existed until 2018 are analyzed in detail. A conceptual consensus on the need to reduce the corporate tax rate and solving the problem of profit shifting existed in the US expert community for some time before the election of President D. Trump, but the balance of power in Congress made the changes impossible. The key provisions of the new corporate tax system, which primarily include a reduction in the corporate tax rate, reforming companies’ international taxation and measures to stimulate investment in the United States, are outlined. The expected consequences and first results of the reform, the impact of the adopted changes on the activities of different types of companies and on the US economy are considered. It is shown that the reform will lead to increased activity of both American and foreign companies on the US territory, as well as, possibly, a decrease in corporate tax rates in other countries. It is concluded that, despite the considerable budget burden, the tax reform will contribute to economic growth in the United States, both in the short and long run.

The article explores investment position of pension funds which become important actors in the national economies and world investment flows; with comparative analysis of the pension funds based in different countries with different models of pension systems and investment regulatory practices. The role of pension funds as investors is based on accumulating growing funding which become nearly half of total OECD gross domestic product. The assets of pension funds in the second decade of the century are concentrated in US, United Kingdom, Canada, with pension funds in other countries less than 5% for each country. But assets of pension funds based in some other countries show significant growth. The article focuses on the pension funds’ assets structure and compares those in different countries. The perspectives of investment pension assets in the national economies and abroad will depend among other factors on the regulation of pension funds and their investments. Focusing on ensuring better access to different investment opportunities in the domestic market and abroad should go hand in hand with raising standards of risk management in pension fund investment.

The increasing level of tension in the trade relations between the United States and other countries, especially China; the potential escalation of trade wars, when countries take more and more explicit retaliatory protectionist measures, becomes a sustainability risk to development of international trade. The US actions taken in 2018–2019 to protect the internal market turned into into a full-fledged trade war, directed primarily against China - the country the United States has the largest trade deficit with. The introduction of the US tariff restrictions on imports from China and several other countries has caused retaliatory measures, as a result the uncertainty of the prospects for international trade increases. Non-tariff measures, such as phytosanitary requirements and technical barriers to trade, have also seen an increase in restrictions.An important source of controversy is the different positions of countries regarding the permissible degree of state support for enterprises. Developed countries, especially the United States, Japan, and the countries of the European Union, have fairly rigidly regulated rules regarding free competition. A cause for great concern is not only the US trade war with China and its consequences for other countries, but also the problems of international trade regulation.

Emerging markets remain attractive for foreign investors due to their rapid economic growth rates and possibilities for profit-making. One of the methods to make investments into foreign countries are the M&A deals. The article discusses the M&A markets of China and Russia as the key representatives of emerging markets. In the article condition and development dynamics are analyzed. The author exposes main investor and deal types and key sectors that are the most attractive for participants of M&A deals. The article also reveals features of M&A deals realizations and legislative limitations for such deals in Russia and China. The author makes comparison between Chinese and Russian M&A markets and draws conclusion that M&A markets of these countries have much in common because of institutional peculiarities expressed in excessive government interference and imperfect legislation. At the same time the author outlines that Chinese M&A market surpasses the Russian one, that is connected with the economic development level and dynamics of the key macroeconomic indicators of China that also outstrip the Russian ones.

The article analyzes the achievements, stages of the formation of Eurasian integration and shows the nature of the impact of integration processes on the economic situation of the participating countries. Eurasian integration processes from the moment of the creation of the Customs Union and before its reformatting into the Eurasian Economic Union and the common market of goods and services had a direct impact on the state and dynamics of the main macroeconomic indicators of the member states. The common economic space has led to the rapid transfer of macroeconomic effects, which makes it possible to consider the EAEU as a powerful factor in macroeconomic stabilization during crisis recessions. At the same time, the expectations of positive effects from the functioning of the EAEU were justified only in the initial stages of the formation of a common commodity market due to the effect of trade liberalization. The structure and geography of commodity flows in the EAEU developed inertia, due to the sectoral structure of the national economies of the Union member states. The trade interaction of the countries that make up the integration block is characterized by monocentricity and a higher level of differentiation, which makes it possible to compensate part of the losses while lowering the intensity of foreign trade to stimulate the development of the real sector. Investment cooperation in the EAEU is limited to traditional sectors of the commodity sector and trade finance. The buildup of synergistic effects between the countries of the EAEU has an extensive nature, while a transition to an intensification strategy is needed through the formation of production cooperation platform.

Nowadays the trade policy of different countries is characterized by an increased spread of preferential trade regimes. These regimes serve as the initial stage of the creation of integration groups, contribute to the solution of economic and political problems. A striking example of the implementation of preferential trade regimes is the practice of granting tariff preferences, including to developing countries. These preferences are the benefits of the customs tariff in the implementation of trade and political relations with foreign countries and are provided in the form of a reduction in the rate of import customs duty on goods originating from developing countries-users of the Unified system of tariff preferences of the Eurasian economic Union (EAEU USTP). The article considers the role of tariff preferences in modern world trade. The study was conducted on the example of developing countries-using of the EAEU USTP. The article analyzes the practice of granting tariff preferences to developing countries, as well as the features of declaring goods originating from these countries.The relevance of the article lies in the fact that today the role of tariff preferences in the trade of the EAEU with third countries is constantly growing, stimulating foreign trade turnover. The findings of the study can be used to adjust the list of developing countries-users of the EAEU USTP and the list of preferential goods, taking into account the peculiarities of the development of modern world trade.

China is the second most important (after the European Union) economic partner of the EAEU. This Partnership has a strategic long-term character. In the early 90s liberalization of economy in China and market reforms in Russia and the other countries of the EAEU affected the increasing commodity turnover between China, Russia and other states. Due to the increasing role of People's Republic of China in a foreign trade turnover of EAEU it would be relevant to consider the features of custom-tariff regulation between China and the EAEU. The article is devoted to the problems of the theoretical and legal framework of the trade and economic cooperation between China and the EAEU countries, the problem of the Eurasian Economic Union, custom-tariff regulation system (with the example of The Great Stone) and the analysis of its peculiarities. The key problems of the Eurasian Economic Union custom-tariff regulation system of the trade with the People's Republic of China based on the statistics from the national statistics committees, the ways of its development aimed at improving trade efficiency and also the possible effects are estimated. Keywords: free economic zones, the China–Belarus Industrial Park «Great Stone», customs duties, bond zones, customs control.