The Year of the Chinese Language in Russia and the Year of the Russian Language in China both indicate the traditional friendship and close ties between China and Russia. Following the Year of the Russian Language in China in 2009, the Year of the Chinese Language was inaugurated in Moscow on March 23, 2010. Shortly before the inauguration ceremony, People's Daily spoke to Yuan Guiren, Chinese Minister of Education and Vice Chairman of the Chinese Organizing Committee for Chinese-Russian Language Years.

People's Daily: In recent years there have been frequent cultural exchanges between China and Russia. The Year of China in Russia, the Year of Russia in China, the Year of the Chinese Language in Russia and the Year of the Russian Language in China have resonated positively with Chinese and Russians. As the minister of education and vice chairman of the Chinese Organizing Committee for Chinese-Russian Language Years, could you please give us some background information about these language events? How do you see their strategic importance?

Yuan Guiren: China and Russia are friendly neighbors. Contacts between their people are becoming increasingly frequent. The Year of Russia in China in 2006 and the Year of China in Russia in 2007 both proved big successes. Shortly before the two programs ended, the two countries agreed to hold the Year of the Russian Language in China in 2009 and the Year of the Chinese Language in Russia in 2010. They made the decision in an effort to sustain the achievements of the previous years, further enhance our traditional friendship, consolidate social foundations for their long-term, good neighborly relations, promote practical cooperation in diverse fields and advance our strategic cooperative partnership.

This partnership has reached a high level and is developing vigorously. The two countries’ cooperation in various areas keeps broadening and deepening. Cultural exchanges, in particular, are more active than ever, imbuing Chinese and Russian people with a sense of lasting friendship and peace. Against this backdrop, the language years will further promote mutual understanding and friendship between the two nations, in particular between their young people. They will also help lay a more solid foundation for the China-Russia strategic cooperative partnership, and help upgrade it.

The language years are expected to become new milestones in the history of Sino-Russian relations. Could you please briefly summarize the main points of the Year of the Russian Language, which was successfully held in China in 2009?

It achieved great success under the guidance of the two countries’ state leaders. During the year, more than 260 events were held in 22 Chinese provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities, covering the fields of education, culture, media, movies and publishing. Several hundred thousand Chinese college students in the more than 100 universities that offer Russian as a special area of study directly took part. Hundreds of millions of others from all sectors of society were also directly or indirectly involved.

The Year of the Russian Language had a large number of highlights. Take the "Chinese Singing Russian Songs" competition. Preliminary contests were held in eight regional divisions across China, attracting more than 120,000 fans of Russian songs. It sparked a craze for singing Russian songs throughout the country. As part of the year, China and Russia arranged a recuperation tour to Russia for a second group of more than 500 primary and secondary school students from earthquake-hit areas in China's Sichuan Province. This initiative intended to implement important consensus reached between the two countries' heads of state in May 2008 when Russia said it would provide recuperation for 1,570 children from earthquake-hit areas. The year's grand opening ceremony in China on March 27, 2009 featured a distinctive theme and was held in a warm atmosphere. Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao and Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin sent congratulatory messages and Chinese State Councilor Liu Yandong and Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Zhukov attended the ceremony. Later, on October 13, a ceremony was held to mark both the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and Russia and the end of the Year of the Russian Language in China. Wen and Putin attended the ceremony and spoke highly of the Year of the Russian Language in China in their respective speeches. Before the closing ceremony, Wen and Putin presented awards to six Chinese experts for their outstanding contributions to Russian language teaching in China and the winners of the "Chinese Singing Russian Songs" competition.

During the Year, China and Russia not only held a wide range of cultural programs, but also shaped platforms for long-term cooperation. For instance, they established five centers for Russian studies and four bases for China-Russia college student exchanges in Chinese universities. China Central Television also launched a Russian channel. The success of the Year of the Russian Language in China injected new vigor into Sino-Russian cultural exchanges and cooperation, while giving more substance to the two countries' partnership.

Could you introduce the Year of Chinese Language in Russia this year? What are your expectations for the event?

We will hold the Year of the Chinese Language in Russia this year. On December 31, 2009, Chinese President Hu Jintao and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev declared the opening of the event in the New Year greetings they sent to each other. We will hold 87 programs for the Year as approved by the 10th meeting of the China-Russia Intergovernmental Committee on Cultural Cooperation on October 10, 2009. The programs, covering the fields of education, culture, media, movies and publishing, will include a language contest, a singing contest, students' parties, academic seminars, correspondence between Chinese and Russian students, exhibitions, the establishment of institutions and cooperative platforms, a music week and a cultural week. The programs will be held in Russian cities across the Eurasian Continent, from Russia's Far East and Siberia to its west, with Moscow as the center. An opening ceremony is scheduled at the Kremlin on March 23, 2010 to inaugurate the Year. Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping and Russian Prime Minister Putin will attend the ceremony, at which college students' art troupes from China and Russia will stage excellent performances.

We are fully aware of the strategic importance of this year. We will work closely with our Russian colleagues to present a well-organized event, and apply our experience in hosting the Year of the Russian Language to the Year of the Chinese Language in a bid to design and conduct all programs to a high standard. We will extensively cover the programs via media outlets such as newspapers, TV, radio and websites to keep people in the two countries well informed.

I'm confident that, with the joint efforts of China and Russia, we will be able to make the year a success and so bring the important consensus between the two countries' heads of state into reality. The Year in Russia will not only help promote Chinese language teaching in Russia and fuel enthusiasm for language learning, but also contribute to enhanced Sino-Russian cultural exchanges and integration.

The Year of the Chinese Language in Russia and the Year of the Russian Language in China will greatly promote the teaching of Chinese in Russia and the teaching of Russian in China respectively. Could you tell us about the language teaching exchanges?

Within the frameworks of the Year of China, the Year of Russia, the Year of the Russian Language and the Year of the Chinese Language, China and Russia have held several hundred language and culture programs. Bilateral exchanges in this respect are now in full bloom. Language teaching exchanges between China and Russia have also thrived.

More than 18,000 Chinese are studying in Russia, while more than 10,000 Russians are studying in China. To date, 12 Confucius Institutes, two Confucius Classes and a Radio Confucius Institute have been established in Russia. Moreover, seven centers for Russian studies have been set up in Chinese universities. During the Year of the Chinese Language in Russia in 2010, the two countries plan to establish five Confucius Institutes in Russia and five centers for Russian studies in China.

Initial statistics show more than 100 Chinese universities offer Russian as a special area of study, with Russian majors exceeding 10,000. More than 400 Chinese universities offer Russian courses, and more than 40,000 Chinese college students are learning Russian as a foreign language. Nearly 100,000 secondary school students and about 3,000 primary school students in China are also learning Russian. In Russia, about 100 universities offer Chinese courses, with Chinese learners numbering 10,000. Thirteen primary and secondary schools in Moscow offer Chinese lessons to more than 2,000 students. Many primary and secondary schools in Russia's Far East and Siberia regions also have Chinese courses.

What role do you think languages can play in promoting cultural integration? What new plans do you have in mind to promote the Chinese language worldwide?

As vehicles of culture and tools for communication, languages serve as bridges to facilitate links between different nations. Renowned Russian author Anton Chekhov said something to the effect that the more noble a nation's culture is, the more vivid its language will be. Chinese is one of the most ancient and vital languages in the world and has a history of more than 3,000 years. Nearly 1.4 billion people speak Chinese as their mother tongue. It is one of the working languages of the UN as well. The Year of the Chinese Language in Russia will enable Russian people to have a better understanding of Chinese history, culture and art, and contribute greatly to the two countries' enhancing exchanges and friendship.

It is the consistent position of the Chinese Government to encourage cross-cultural exchanges. Our decision to hold language years in China and Russia has sparked great enthusiasm for language learning in both countries, while providing a striking example of cross-lingual and cross-cultural exchanges between different nations. We will take this opportunity to promote exchanges about Chinese language and other languages. In this way, we will try to let China know more about the world, let the world know more about China, and enhance friendship between Chinese people and people in other countries.