Elena Teslova
20 May 2026•Update: 20 May 2026
Russian President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday that prospects for educational cooperation between Russia and China were “limitless.”
Launching the cross-years of education alongside Chinese President Xi Jinping during his visit to Beijing, Putin said he “completely” agreed with his counterpart on the importance of the initiative.
Xi described education as “an important bridge that connects the hearts of the people and consists the friendly relations between the countries.”
According to Putin, the initiative is the 10th large-scale bilateral humanitarian project implemented by the two countries.
He said Moscow and Beijing traditionally select a specific sphere for cross-year exchanges to provide “additional impetus” for cooperation in that field.
Citing a Russian scientist in support of his remarks on the importance of education, Putin said Russia and China had already established 15 inter-university associations and were continuing to expand academic and scientific ties.
“The closest plan is the launch of an Institute of Innovation Studies between St. Petersburg and Tsinghua universities,” Putin said, adding that the number of people studying Russian and Chinese was steadily growing in both countries.
He added that the program for the cross-years of education would include a broad range of events involving schools, universities, research institutions, professors and teachers at different levels.
Xi said the two sides could train top-level specialists and strengthen the research potential of both countries, while stressing the importance of mutual respect, mutually beneficial cooperation and tapping the potential of education to deepen mutual understanding.
Putin also announced that Russia and China were launching a major joint project dedicated to the history of World War II aimed at preventing what he described as “the distortion of historical events” and the justification of Nazi ideology.
China has also decided to extend its visa-free policy for Russian citizens through Dec. 31, 2027 to "continuously facilitate" personnel exchanges between the two countries, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said Wednesday, according to state-run news agency Xinhua.
