Foreign and Military Affairs

State councilor pledges increased cultural links with Russia

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2010-03-25 10:48

MOSCOW - The "Year of Chinese Language" in Russia this year will be a new opportunity for the two peoples to strengthen friendship and step up cooperation, visiting Chinese State Councilor Liu Yandong said here Wednesday.

While touring the Confucius Institute of the Russian State University for the Humanities, Liu praised its achievements in teaching Chinese and hoped that it will help promote bilateral cultural exchanges as well as enhance understanding and friendship between the two peoples.

Sino-Russian cooperation in such fields as trade and economy, humanities and science had reached a new level in recent years, Liu said, adding that good-neighborly friendship and bilateral coordination had become the common desire of people from both countries.

The reciprocal language years, Liu said, were an important step taken by the two countries' leaders following the successful reciprocal national theme years. Moreover, they were very significant for deepening the Sino-Russian strategic partnership of cooperation.

Liu called on students and teachers to continue studying Chinese and thus become envoys between the two countries.

Liu, also the chairwoman of the Chinese organizing committee for the language year, came to Russia at the invitation of Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Zhukov.

She attended the opening ceremony of the "Year of Chinese Language" held in the Kremlin in Moscow on Tuesday evening.