Xi applauds cultural exchange at opening ceremony of China-Russia Years of Culture

Chinese President Xi Jinping applauded China-Russia cultural exchange when speaking at the opening ceremony of the China-Russia Years of Culture and a special concert celebrating the 75th anniversary of the two countries’ diplomatic ties in Beijing on Thursday.

Jointly attending the event with visiting Russian President Vladimir Putin, Xi spoke highly of the music cultures of the two countries in his address.

“High Mountains and Flowing Water (a traditional Chinese music masterpiece) is played for cherished friends. China has a long tradition of building bonds and conveying emotions through music. Russian music has a profound cultural background and is particularly moving. The folk music of our two countries are splendid flowers in the garden of world civilization. Tonight, artists from the China National Traditional Orchestra and the Osipov State Russian Folk Orchestra will jointly present not only Russian songs well-known in Chinese households such as Moscow Nights and Katyusha, but also famous Chinese pieces with unique oriental charms such as Song of the Homebound Fishermen and Blooming Flowers and the Full Moon. We believe that this musical feast will become a splendid chapter in the cultural exchanges and mutual learning between China and Russia,” Xi said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s state visit to China has yielded fruitful results in enhancing comprehensive, strategic cooperation and fortifying enduring bilateral relations, said scholars from both countries.

At the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping, Putin paid a state visit to China from Thursday to Friday. At the end of the visit, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs described President Putin’s visit to China as “importantly timed and fruitful.”

Putin’s two-day visit to China was fast-paced with rich activities, including meetings with Chinese leaders, a visit to northeast Chinese city Harbin, and attending a series of economic, trade, and cultural exchange activities. The Russian delegation accompanying Putin included not only six Russian deputy prime ministers, ministers of major departments, but also several heads of large companies.

A Chinese expert said that at the critical moment of the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries, this round of meeting between the two heads of state is endowed with great significance of connecting the past with the future.

“China and Russia have experienced ups and downs since the establishment of diplomatic relations 75 years ago. Now China-Russia relations are more mature, stable and resilient. The leaders of the two countries reviewed the 75-year journey, summarized the successful experience, and at the same time, put forward the development goals for the next stage. China has its own development plan, and Russia also has its national development goals through 2030 and up to 2036. Putin brought with him an extraordinary visiting lineup, dovetailing in various fields, which summarized the past successful experience on the one hand, and on the other hand made optimal orchestration for the enhancement of comprehensive cooperation between the two countries,” said Ding Xiaoxing, director of the Institute of Eurasia under the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations.

President Xi and Putin on Thursday signed and issued a joint statement on deepening China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for a new era on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries.

During Putin’s visit to China, China and Russia signed a number of cooperation documents covering the fields of economy and trade, environment conservation, disease inspection and quarantine, and media. The China-Russia Years of Culture officially kicked off during the visit with a series of colorful cultural exchange projects on schedule.

“China and Russia have been strengthening mutual trust on the basis of equality and mutual benefit. In fact, as major countries and neighbors, it is not easy for China and Russia to get along with each other sometimes. However, China and Russia have found the right way to do so, which is sticking to equality, mutual benefit and win-win cooperation. On the basis of mutual benefit, China and Russia have been promoting pragmatic cooperation for the wellbeing of the two peoples. For example, Russian natural gas has entered thousands of households in China, while Chinese electronic products, including cars, can now be seen in a large number of streets and alleys of Russia. That fact indicates a China-Russia cooperation based entirely on equality, mutual benefit and win-win cooperation. Thus, the bilateral relations have a solid foundation and can be stable and enduring,” Ding said.

A report from Russian news agency Sputnik said that Putin’s visit to China not only deepened the political mutual trust between the two sides and promoted practical cooperation, but also demonstrated the strategic coordination between Russia and China in regional and international affairs, conveying to the wider world the two countries’ firm determination to safeguard multilateralism and international order.

“As the leaders of China and Russia reaffirmed, China-Russia relations enjoy lasting historic continuity and we should extremely cherish it. As a model of international relations, China-Russia have marched forward steadily in a turbulent diplomatic environment. Presently, the two countries have thorough understanding of each other, setting up a great example of communication and exchanges between countries,” said Alexey Maslov, director of the Institute of Asian and African Studies at Lomonosov Moscow State University.