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March 16, 2006 |
I. Background of the Year of Russia in China and the Year of China in Russia China is Russia’s largest neighbor and vice versa. The two countries are also important strategic partners. Through the joint efforts of both sides over the years, the strategic partnership of coordination between the two countries has reached an unprecedented level. Their mutual trust on strategic matters deepened, and cooperation in various fields has flourished. On major issues, the two countries support each other, and maintain close contact and coordination on international issues. To bring about an all-round development of the Sino-Russian strategic partnership of coordination, Chinese President Hu Jintao and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin have decided to formulate the Guidelines for Implementation of the Treaty of Good-neighborliness, Friendship and Cooperation between the People’s Republic of China and the Russian Federation. In July 2004 when the two sides were discussing the Guidelines, the Russian side proposed holding the Year of Russia in China and the Year of China in Russia respectively in 2006 and 2007. In warm response to the Russian proposal, the Chinese side agreed to include it into the Implementation Guidelines. During Russian President Putin’s visit to China in October 2004, the two heads of state approved the Guidelines. On 1 July 2005, during Chinese President Hu Jintao’s visit to Russia, they officially announced that the Year of Russia would be held in China in 2006 and the Year of China in Russia in 2007. On 31 December 2005, the two presidents announced the formal launching of the Year of Russia as from 1 January 2006 in their New Year messages to each other. II. The significance of the Year of China and the Year of Russia As distinct from the Year of Culture, the Year of China and the Year of Russia is a project involving wide-ranging and large-scale activities and high-level participation. The event aims not only to enhance mutual understanding and friendship between the two peoples, but also to achieve practical results in various fields of cooperation between the two sides. It is the first time in the history of China-Russia relations that the two countries have initiated such a significant event. As the theme of the China-Russia relations this year and next year, the event is a major step for the implementation of the principles and spirit embodied in the Treaty. It will help further enhance mutual trust between the two nations, increase their cooperation in the political, economic, science and technology, cultural and other fields, promote the peaceful idea of “friendship always, antagonism never” as enshrined in the Treaty, strengthen the foundation for China-Russia friendship and push the strategic partnership of coordination to a new high. China and Russia are both permanent members of the United Nations Security Council and the development of the bilateral relations will not only bring tangible benefits to the two countries and peoples, but also make important contribution to peace, stability and development in the region and the world as a whole. III. The composition of the organizing committees The two heads of state attach great importance to the Year of Russia and the Year of China and have called for the establishment of the respective organizing committees. (1). The organizing committee of China In November 2005, the Chinese side set up its organizing committee of the Year of Russia and the Year of China, with Vice Premier Wu Yi as the Chairperson of the committee and State Councilors Tang Jiaxuan and Chen Zhili as Vice Chairpersons. The Chinese organizing committee is made up of 47 members, including the Chinese ambassador to Russia, deputies to the National People’s Congress and members of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, and officials from the relevant ministries and commissions from the Communist Party Central Committee and the State Council, military, local governments, large enterprises and NGOs. The secretariat of the organizing committee, headquartered in the Chinese Foreign Ministry, is responsible for liaison with the Russian Foreign Ministry and coordination with working groups of China. Assistant Foreign Minister Li Hui acts as the Secretary General. For better management and high efficiency for the implementation of the event, the Chinese organizing committee has set up 10 working groups, namely, political, economic and trade, cultural, education, health and sports, media, science and technology, military, local activities, security, and liaison. The Political Group: Led by the Foreign Ministry with Assistant Foreign Minister Li Hui as the head of the group. Its members include the International Department of the CPC Central Committee, the National People’s Congress, the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, the Ministry of Public Security, the Ministry of Finance, the All-China Youth Federation, the All-China Women’s Federation, and the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries. The Economic and Trade Group: Led by the Ministry of Commerce, with Vice Minister Yu Guangzhou as the head of the group. Its members include the National Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Railways, the Ministry of Communications, the Ministry of Information Industry, the Ministry of Agriculture, the General Administration of Customs, and the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine, the State Forestry Bureau, the Development Research Center of the State Council, the China National Space Administration, the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, the University of International Business and Economics, several large banks and enterprises, etc. The Cultural Group: Led by the Ministry of Culture, with Vice Minister Meng Xiaosi as the head of the group. Its members include the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television, the General Administration of Press and Publication, the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, the State Council Relics Bureau, the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles, the Chinese Writers Association, the Beijing Municipal Government, etc. The Group of Education, Health and Sports: Led by the Ministry of Education, with Minister Zhou Ji as the head of the group. Its members include the Ministry of Health, the General Administration of Sport, the National Tourism Administration, Peking University, etc. The Group of Media: Led by the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee, with Vice Minister Li Dongsheng as the head of the group. Its members include the Information Office of the State Council, the Ministry of Culture, the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television, the General Administration of Press and Publication, the Xinhua News Agency, the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, the All-China Journalists Association, etc. The Group of Science and Technology: Led by the Ministry of Science and Technology, with Vice Minister Ma Songde as the head of the group. Its members include the Commission of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the Chinese Academy of Engineering, the National Natural Science Foundation of China, the China Science and Technology Association, the Science and Technology Daily, etc. The Military Group: Led by the Headquarters of the General Staff of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army with Assistant Chief of General Staff Zhang Qinxin as the head of the group. Its members include the Ministry of National Defense, the Headquarters of the General Staff of the PLA, etc. The Group of Local Activities: Led by the Foreign Ministry, with Vice Minister Li Jinzhang as the head of the group. Its members include the Ministry of Commerce, Beijing and Shanghai Municipal Governments, Heilongjiang, Jilin and Liaoning Provincial Governments, the Government of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, the Government of Inner Mongolian Autonomous Region, etc. The Security Group: Led by the Ministry of Public Security, with Vice Minister Meng Hongwei as the head of the group. Its members include the Ministry of Railways, the Ministry of Communications, the Ministry of Health, the General Administration of Customs, the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine, the General Administration of Civil Aviation of China, etc. The Liaison Group is headquartered in the State Council General Office, with Deputy Secretary General Xu Shaoshi as the head of the group, and the second bureau of the State Council General Office in charge of routine work. To maintain the organizational continuity of the Year of Russia in China and the Year of China in Russia, the compositions of the Chinese organizing committee and its working groups will remain more or less unchanged. (2). The organizing committee of Russia In June 2005, Russian President Putin signed a Presidential decree on the establishment of the organizing committee of Russia for the Year of Russia in China and the Year of China in Russia. Valentina Matviyenko, the First Deputy Prime Minister of Russia (the then director-general of the Office of President), acts as Chairman of the committee and Deputy Prime Minister Zhukov as Vice Chairman. The members of the committee include leading officials from relevant ministries and commissions, special commissions under the State Duma, local governments, large enterprises, universities and academies, media, and the Russia-China bilateral cooperation mechanism. The Russian Foreign Ministry is responsible for political activities, overall coordination with the Chinese side, and assistance to relevant departments for their implementation of activities. The secretariat of the committee of the regular meetings between the two countries’ prime ministers and the secretariat of the Russia-China cooperation committee of education, culture, health and sports are responsible for activities within their respective scopes of functions. The activities in the military field are the responsibilities of the Ministry of National Defense of Russia. IV. Purposes and overall guidelines On 8 December 2005, Valentina Matviyenko, Chairman of the organizing committee of Russia and First Deputy Prime Minister visited China and held talks with the chairperson of the Chinese organizing committee. The two chairpersons reached an agreement on the general principles and guidelines as well as the main activities in the Year of Russia in China. (1). Purposes The two sides agreed through consultation that the purposes of the Year of Russia and the Year of China are to publicize and promote China-Russia friendship, enhance mutual trust, promote practical cooperation and deepen strategic partnership of coordination between the two countries. (2). Overall guidelines 1, Overall consideration and balanced arrangement of the activities concerning the Year of Russia in China and the Year of China in Russia; a basically equal number of activities from each side with similar scales and effects. 2, Emphasis on a number of large-scale, influential and symbolic activities in connection with the visits by the heads of the two nations. 3, Utilization of the existing bilateral mechanisms, such as the committee of the regular meetings between the two prime ministers, the China-Russia cooperation committee of education, culture, health and sports, and the China-Russia committee of friendship, peace and development, with a view to further raising the level of bilateral cooperation in concrete areas and pushing the practical cooperation to a new high. 4, Focus on the cultural features of each country through cultural exchanges with a view to boosting the friendship among the younger generation and giving play to the local strengths in promoting local cooperation. V. The symbol of the Year of Russia in China The symbol of the Year of Russia in China was designed by the Russian side and agreed upon by the organizing committee of China. The symbol comprises of a giant panda and a brown bear dressed in the Chinese and Russian national flags, representing China and Russia, against the backdrop of China’s Temple of Heaven and Russia’s Swahili Grand Church. Written on the symbol is the slogan “march forward hand-in-hand” in Chinese and Russian. The symbol signifies good-neighborliness, friendship and mutual coordination. It will be used in various activities of the Year of Russia in China. For the Year of China in Russia in 2007, the symbol will be designed by the Chinese side. VI. Activities of the Year of Russia in China Following the decision on the launch of the Year of Russia and Year of China by the two heads of state, the two sides immediately started preparations and each proposed a list of projects for the Year of Russia in China. Through several rounds of consultations, the list was finalized and approved by the two organizing committees. According to the list, the two sides will carry out 207 activities in China, covering almost every field of bilateral exchange and cooperation. (1). Eight large scale national-level activities 1, The heads of state of the two countries extended to each other New Year messages, announcing the launch of the Year of Russia in China. On 31 December 2005, Chinese President Hu Jintao and his Russian counterpart Putin sent to each other a congratulatory message, announcing the formal launch of the Year of Russia in China. 2, The opening ceremony of the Year of Russia The opening ceremony is to be held in the Great Hall of the People during Russian President Putin’s visit to China. Chinese President Hu Jintao and Russian President Putin are scheduled to attend the opening ceremony and deliver speeches. Chairpersons of the two organizing committees and other officials will also be present. Following the ceremony, the Russian National Model Theatre will give a magnificent performance, including scenes from Russian ballet and opera, and some classical symphonic music. The China Central Television (CCTV) will give a live broadcast of the speeches delivered by the heads of state. 3, Chinese media’s interviews with Russian President Putin, Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov, First Deputy Prime Minister Valentina Matviyenko, and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. On 26 February, Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov already gave an interview to the Chinese media, which was already published. The interviews with President Putin and First Deputy Prime Minister Valentina Matviyenko are under arrangement. The interview with Prime Minister Fradkov is scheduled to take place around the time of the closing ceremony of the Year of Russia in China. 4, The China-Russia economic and business summit The summit is to be held at the Fangfei Garden of the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse during Russian President Putin’s visit to China. President Hu Jintao and President Putin are to attend the opening ceremony of the summit and deliver speeches. There will be about 600 participants from the two countries. To facilitate in-depth discussions about the key areas in bilateral trade and economic cooperation, the two sides will hold four concurrent sessions on cooperation in energy, information technology, financial service and mechanical and electrical products. Chinese Vice Premier Wu Yi and Russian First Deputy Prime Minister Matviyenko will meet representatives of the business communities from both countries. 5, The national exhibition of Russia, the China-Russia investment promotion week, the opening ceremony of the Cultural Festival of Russia, and celebrations of the 57th anniversary of the establishment of China-Russia diplomatic relations. The national exhibition of Russia is due to be held at the exhibition hall of the China World Trade Center along with the closing ceremony of the Year of Russia in November. On display will be the main Russian economic achievements, such as those in the mechanical and electrical, metallurgical, machinery manufacturing, information technology, telecommunications, chemical, forestry, power, oil and gas, tourist, and banking fields. Some symposiums on special topics will also be held. The China-Russia investment promotion week will coincide with the national exhibition of Russia to be held in November. The investment cooperation in infrastructure, high technology, processing and manufacturing and mineral resources, etc. will be discussed. The Cultural Festival of Russia is scheduled to begin in March when Russian President Putin visits China. During the Cultural Festival, classical works of the Moscow Grand Theatre will be staged, the best works of the Trechiakov gallery, and Russian contemporary arts will be on display. And Moscow theatre itinerant troupe will put on performances. Celebrations of the 57th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Russia will be held in Beijing in late September and early October. The ambassadors of the two countries will publish articles, and a reception to mark the occasion will be held. There will also be cultural performances and a photo exhibition entitled “Today’s Russia”. 6, The round-table conference of legislators from both sides (China’s National People’s Congress and Russian Federation Council). The round-table conference will be held in Harbin, the capital city of Northeast China’s Heilongjiang Province. The date of the conference is still under consultation. Chairman of the NPC Wu Bangguo and Chairman of the Russian Federation Council Sergei Mironov will be present at the conference. The topics of the Chinese side are: the socialist legal system with Chinese characteristics, the progress of China’s legislation, the 11th Five-Year Guidelines, China’s path of peaceful development, the present state and prospect of China-Russia trade and economic cooperation, China-Russia cooperation in the border areas, etc. 7, The promotion of Russia’s Siberian, Northwestern and Far Eastern federal regions. The 11th symposium on China-Russia regional cooperation and the promotion of the Siberian federal region is to be held in Guangdong, Fujian and interested provinces and cities in the Pearl River Delta in late May. Along with the symposium, exhibitions and economic and trade fairs will be held. The promotion activities of the Northwestern federal region are to be held in the economic zones of the Yangtze River Delta in October, possibly in Suzhou or Wuxi, of Jiangsu Province. The exact timing and location of the promotion activities of the Far Eastern Federal Region are still under discussion. 8, The closing ceremony of the Year of Russia in China It has been initially agreed by the two sides that the closing ceremony will be held in Beijing in November. During the closing period, the national exhibition of Russia, the China-Russia investment promotion week and other large-scale activities will be staged. According to the tentative program, the two prime ministers will attend the closing ceremony. (2), 199 other activities In addition to the large-scale national-level projects, there are 199 activities confirmed by the two sides to be launched during the Year of Russia in China. These activities will fall under the 10 working groups of the organizing committee according to their respective functions. Among them, 12 activities belong to the political group, 46 to the economic and trade group, 43 to the group of culture, 27 to the group of education, health and sports, 11 to the group of media, 21 to the group of science and technology, 5 to the military group, 34 to the group of local activities. The security group is responsible for the security of all activities concerning the Year of Russia in China. These activities will be held in different places in China at different times in connection with the large-scale national-level projects. Among the above-mentioned activities, the national-level projects are the priorities that will be attended by the leaders of the two countries. They will have significant impact on the development of the bilateral relations between the two countries and their cooperation in concrete areas. The rest are the exchange and cooperation projects between relevant departments and local regions of the two countries, covering many departments and areas. Local activities will involve nearly 30 provinces and cities of the two countries. VII. Progress China and Russia attach great importance to the Year of Russia activities. The relevant departments and local regions of the two countries have shown great enthusiasm. Since the beginning of this year, some activities have already been successfully held, including the exchange of New Year messages by the two heads of state to announce the launch of the Year of Russia, the presentation of a New Year tree to Beijing by Irkutsk, the Harbin Ice and Snow Festival, the meeting of the mixed working groups between Jilin and Russian coastal regions, the winter camp of Russian middle and primary school students, the first China-Russia seminar on the application of ophthalmology, and the performances given by the art troupe of the Russian Ministry of Interior Affairs. All these have achieved good results. The presence of the heads of state of the two countries at the opening ceremony of the Year of Russia in China and the summit of Chinese and Russian business people will push the Year of Russia to a climax. The Year of Russia and the Year of China is of far-reaching significance. It is hoped that people from all walks of life of the two countries will take an active part in and support the event. In particular, we expect an extensive support from the media of the two countries, in the form of their reports and coverage of the event. We hope that those reports will contribute to China-Russia friendship, better mutual understanding and trust between the two peoples, further development of China-Russia strategic partnership of coordination and mutually beneficial cooperation in all fields. We believe that with the joint efforts from both sides, the Year of
Russia in China this year and the Year of China in Russia in 2007 will
be a complete success. |