Published on: 2026-07-28
Source: Government of the Russian Federation –
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Deputy Chairman of the Government of Russia Dmitry Chernyshenko took part in the Russian-Chinese educational project “Good Neighbors.” The project is dedicated to the 25th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Good-Neighborliness, Friendship, and Cooperation between the Russian Federation and the People’s Republic of China.
The Deputy Prime Minister spoke about the development of Russian-Chinese cooperation in the fields of youth policy, sports, and tourism, emphasizing that these areas create a solid foundation for strengthening human ties between the two countries.
“In the 21st century, the stability of international relations depends on how well societies understand each other. For example, a young person has visited another country, seen its landmarks, sports arenas, universities, made friends with peers. He will no longer perceive this state as something distant and foreign,” noted Dmitry Chernyshenko.
According to the Deputy Prime Minister, the youth partnership between Russia and China has been developing for a long time. The countries are conducting systematic work to build dialogue among the younger generation through regular youth exchanges, meetings, forums, and more. He reminded that in May of this year, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping opened the cross-year of Russian-Chinese cooperation in education. Bilateral partnership is also developing in the business sector. Thus, in May of this year in Harbin, a delegation of young Russian entrepreneurs participated in the 10th Russian-Chinese EXPO. The Deputy Prime Minister also noted that in September there will be an International Youth Festival, for which more than 500 applications for participation have been submitted from China.
“The main meaning of youth cooperation is that the new generation confidently looks to the future and builds it here and now,” said Dmitry Chernyshenko.
The Deputy Prime Minister paid attention to the development of sports cooperation. In 2022 and 2023, cross years of Russian-Chinese cooperation in physical culture and sports took place.
“Russia and China consistently advocate that sport should not become a tool of political pressure. Our countries uphold the principles of Olympism, which exclude discrimination against athletes based on nationality and citizenship. Our countries regularly hold large-scale joint sporting events. Some of the most notable are the Russian-Chinese Youth Winter and Summer Games, the international Russian-Chinese winter sports festival, and others,” emphasized the Deputy Prime Minister.
He added that countries are developing innovative formats in the field of sports. For example, the first-ever Games of the Future and the BRICS Games. Russia and China actively cooperate in the field of sports education – more than 400 Chinese students are studying in this field in our country.
Dmitry Chernyshenko stated that tourism is the most important sector, clearly demonstrating the hospitality, wealth of history, culture, and traditions of Russia and China.
“Tourism is the diplomacy of impressions. The friendship of peoples is truly felt only when a person visits another country themselves, learns about its characteristics, walks the city streets, tries the cuisine, and most importantly – communicates with people. Russia and China are reducing formal barriers, opening new opportunities for travel. The best confirmation of this is the introduction of a visa-free regime between the countries. In 2025, about 2 million Russians visited China, and around 1 million Chinese citizens visited Russia,” said Dmitry Chernyshenko.
In the first quarter of this year, the flow of Russian tourists to China increased by 60%, while that of Chinese tourists to Russia grew by 25%. By decision of the leaders of the two countries, the visa-free regime has been extended until the end of 2027. It is expected that by that time, our citizens will have made up to 6 million mutual trips.
The Deputy Prime Minister added that new opportunities for expanding cooperation in the field of tourism have been opened by China’s participation in the international tourism forum “Travel!”. The Chinese exhibition at VDNH in Moscow was visited by more than 500,000 people.
The Deputy Prime Minister emphasized that thanks to the development of tourism in our country, new hotels and restaurants are being built, sightseeing tours are opening, transportation connections are growing, and local services are being promoted. Thus, today there are about 270 weekly flights between Russia and China, and railway communication is developing.
“ Youth policy, sports, and tourism are among the most vibrant, sustainable, and promising areas of cooperation. Their synergy perfectly demonstrates that human connections are very important for a fruitful dialogue between the two countries. And since young people from our countries interact more and more, athletes compete fairly, and tourists discover each other’s cultures, it means that the friendship between Russia and China cannot be broken or extinguished by any political winds.“, – emphasized Dmitry Chernyshenko.
The “Good Neighbors” project, created by ON Media, Radio Sputnik, China Media Corporation, and Izvestia, is dedicated to key areas of Russian-Chinese cooperation, including culture, education, science, economy, energy, tourism, sports, and youth policy. Its goal is to show how the strategic partnership between Russia and China is reflected in the lives of citizens of the two countries and contributes to strengthening trust between the peoples.
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