Russian friends praise China-Russia ties ahead of Xi's visit

China. 4 July. Kazakhstan Today - Chinese President Xi Jinping's state visit to Russia from July 3 to 4 is viewed as a significant event by Russian media and experts.

"We are very much looking forward to President Xi's visit," said Marat Abulkhatin, deputy editor-in-chief of Agency TASS, adding that his agency has worked out a very intensive plan to report the political event.

The first time Abulkhatin saw Xi in person was five years ago, when he led a team to report the CPC's 18th National Congress in 2012. "Xi is not only a political figure with a firm stance but also a person with tenacity and wisdom," he recalled.

China and Russia are eyeing closer ties represented by increasingly frequent political, economic, people-to-people and cultural exchanges, Abulkhatin pointed out.

Leaders of the two countries have conducted dialogues on various platforms such as the BRICS summit and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, he said, adding that their voices on global stage and breaking news emerged from time to time, helping Russian citizens understand President Xi very well.

"There are various massive co-built projects very worthy of expectations, such as the Moscow-Kazan high-speed rail and the Tianwan Nuclear Power Plant," he illustrated.

"Cultural exchanges are increased as well, for instance, bookstores in Moscow are selling Chinese literature works, such as poetry of the Tang Dynasty(618-907) and novels of contemporary Chinese writer Mo Yan," Abulkhatin continued.

In a visit to Russia in March 2013, Xi gave an important speech at the Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO).

"The speech was so splendid that I can still remember some details," hailed Aleksey Aleksakhin, interpreter of Xi's speech.

The speech greatly boosted cooperation between MGIMO and some Chinese universities. After the speech, lots of Russian students found curiosity in learning Chinese and researching on Russia-China relations, recalled Aleksakhin, who is also the director of the Chinese teaching and research office and a PhD in linguistics at the institute.

Now at MGIMO, an estimated 500 students are learning Chinese and engaged in China study. In 2020, Chinese will be tested for Russia's College Entrance Exam. "The future of the two countries depends on the young generation," the professor pointed out.

"I believe that the Belt and Road Initiative will soon marvel the world, though it is now not so widely appreciated in terms of its significance to the world and Russia. Let us wait and see," Vladimir Remyga, professor of Financial University under the government of the Russian Federation, told people's Daily two years ago.

Remyga was one of the first economists representing the Soviet Union to visit China in early 1980s. His rich knowledge on China made him realize that the Belt and Road Initiative is a great concept that would benefit Russia, Europe, Asia and the world at large.

There are ample news updates and information about the Silk Road Economic Belt in Russia, Remyga said, elaborating that government officials, academicians and businessmen are having more discussions over the Belt and Road construction.

In the latest two years, more consensus has been reached and more projects were launched, the professor continued.

The political ties between the two countries are at a historic peak and China is the largest trade partner to Russia, the economist noted. But he also admitted that, by contrast, Russia is only the 10th trade partner of China.

In a belief that disparity means opportunities, he stressed that China and Russia, highly complementary in economy, have huge potentials for cooperation.

Pic:

Russian artists perform a dance Joyous Festival during the 8th China-Russia Cultural Market in Heihe, northeast China's Heilongjiang province. (Photo by People's Daily)

By Wu Yan, Zhang Xiaodong, Qu Song from People's Daily

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