A series of theme years between Russia and China has helped strengthen ties between the two partners, particularly in the cultural sphere, a senior Russian official said.
"A more intensive presence of Russia in China and China in Russia will give us great opportunities to receive information about each other and understand each other's culture," Russian Deputy Prime Minister Olga Golodets said in an exclusive interview with Xinhua.
The more the two sides cooperate, the more they will understand each other, she said. "I believe, our cooperation is really in the interests of the two nations." Russia and China have held many reciprocal years of language, tourism and youth exchanges. "Last year was devoted to youth exchange. That was to the benefit of both countries, as direct exchanges between schools and universities have been established," Golodets said.
More and more people in Russia now want to learn Chinese, she said, adding it is a great achievement that Chinese has become the fifth most popular language in Russian schools. As to the China-Russia Media Exchange Year that kicked off late last year in Beijing, Golodets said the media has become the most direct channel for communication between the two sides.
Cultural exchanges between Russia and China have been developing in a unique way boosted by the two countries' political cooperation, she said, adding that Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Russian Counterpart Vladimir Putin have met ten times in the past two years and leaders of both sides have attached great importance to this area.
"Every meeting has given a special momentum to our relations," she added. In her opinion, it is very important to keep bilateral contacts on a regular basis, and she promised that Russia would spare no effort to expand these contacts. "I think there will be more bridges that can open ways to each other," she added.
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