The 8th Annual Meeting of the Chinese Council for Education under the China-Russia Friendship, Peace, and Development Committee was held at Renmin University of China (RUC) on January 6th, both online and offline.
In his opening address, Zheng Xinye, Vice President of RUC expressed gratitude to the Chinese Secretariat for its ongoing support and welcomed all council members. Zheng noted that 2024 marks the 75th anniversary of China-Russia diplomatic relations and highlighted the strong strategic partnership between the two nations under the leadership of their heads of state. He emphasized the importance of maintaining unwavering support for China-Russia friendship amidst a turbulent global landscape.
Zheng reviewed the council's achievements in 2024 and outlined plans to enhance education collaboration mechanisms, foster interdisciplinary Russian studies, and promote cultural exchanges. He emphasized the role of education and cultural dialogue in strengthening people-to-people understanding and advancing China-Russia relations to new depths, contributing to national development and global peace.
Cao Yunlong, Counselor of the Department of European-Central Asian Affairs at the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Head of the Chinese Secretariat of the China-Russia Committee, lauded the council's contributions to fostering bilateral cooperation in education and culture. He proposed four key recommendations for the council’s future work.
As part of the opening ceremony, Zhao Yonghua, Professor at RUC’s School of Journalism and Director of the RUC-Heilongjiang University Joint Institute for Russian Studies, delivered a keynote report titled Constructing a Theoretical Model for China-Russia Media Cooperation. Zhao analyzed the current media cooperation framework, identified challenges, and provided actionable suggestions to optimize cultural and media exchanges between the two nations.
Following the opening ceremony, a working meeting was chaired by Zhang Damiao, Deputy Director of RUC’s International Office. Zhang summarized the council’s achievements in 2024 and presented key focus areas for 2025, emphasizing the integration of academic resources across council member universities to strengthen language and cultural education cooperation.
Member representatives shared their annual reports, experiences, and insights, discussing plans to enhance the council’s influence and deepen bilateral academic and cultural ties.
On January 5, the council co-hosted the Academic Seminar and First "China-Russia Friendship @ Future" Forum with RUC’s Institute of Regional and Country Studies and RUC-Heilongjiang University Joint Institute for Russian Studies. Zheng Xinye delivered remarks at the forum, which provided a platform for interdisciplinary dialogue and innovation in China-Russia relations.
Established in November 2016 with the support of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the China-Russia Committee, the Chinese Council for Education is chaired by Zheng Xinye and co-led by Sergey Mikhailovich Shakhray, former Russian Deputy Prime Minister. The council’s secretariat is based at RUC’s International Office.
This year’s annual meeting underscored the enduring partnership between China and Russia, reaffirming education and cultural exchange as vital pillars of bilateral relations. The council remains committed to fostering collaboration, advancing mutual understanding, and contributing to global peace and development.
Representatives from over a dozen council member universities, including Peking University, Tsinghua University, Shanghai International Studies University, and Shenzhen MSU-BIT University, participated in the event.
