Cultural exchanges foster ties

In Russia more than 40 universities and some 20 middle and primary schools list Chinese as their first foreign language. In fact, the year 2010 was made the "Year of the Chinese Language" in that country.
Chinese Ambassador to Russia Li Hui described the soon-to-end Chinese Language Year in Russia as a milestone in the history of bilateral cultural cooperation,

This is all part of a long history. Since the mid-17th century, Russia has been sending students to China to learn the Chinese language and culture. And in 1708, the Chinese government opened the first official school offering Russian language courses.

Now there are 17 Confucius Institutes and three Confucius classrooms open in Russia. There are more than 24,700 Russian students studying Chinese.
According to the China Daily, Li estimates that some 2,000 Russian students paid visits to China this year for advanced studies.