Published on: 2026-10-19
Source: Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University –
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On October 19, at Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University, under the chairmanship of the Deputy Chairman of the Russian Government Tatyana Golikova and the member of the State Council of the PRC Shen Yiqin, the 27th meeting of the Russian-Chinese Commission on Humanitarian Cooperation took place. The event was attended by the governor of St. Petersburg Alexander Beglov, Deputy Minister of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation Konstantin Mogilevsky, rector of SPbPU Andrey Rudskoy, representatives of the relevant ministries and agencies of both countries.
“Holding thematic years between Russia and China has become a stable and positive tradition. For already twenty years, this effective tool of interaction has allowed strengthening both the social and spiritual foundations of Russian-Chinese relations, friendship, and mutual understanding between our peoples, — Tatiana Golikova said in her welcoming speech. — Our commission meeting is held on the eve of the main event on the track of the Russian-Chinese intergovernmental dialogue — the 31st regular meeting of the heads of governments of our states. I expect that the proposals and agreements developed within today’s commission meeting will make a significant contribution to the implementation of the tasks set at the highest level and the further strengthening of Russian-Chinese humanitarian cooperation.”
Humanitarian ties are a solid foundation of the centuries-old friendship between our countries and the rapprochement of our peoples. Building on the experience of our millennia-old cultures, we keep pace with the times, expand channels of interaction, strengthen political trust and trade-economic cooperation, noted Shen Yiqin.
Greeting the guests, Alexander Beglov emphasized: It is important for us that the meeting is taking place in our city. Petersburg consistently develops relations with the People’s Republic of China. We have accumulated extensive experience in cooperation with six cities and regions of the PRC. For many years, China has been our largest trading partner. More than 800 Chinese companies operate in the city. Today, China is the leader in the number of foreign tourists arriving in Petersburg. Around 12,500 Chinese students study at higher education institutions in Petersburg — their number has grown three and a half times over ten years. Universities and research organizations have signed more than 800 agreements with partners from the PRC — these include joint educational programs, scientific research, and exchanges of faculty and students.
Alexander Beglov announced that on October 20, in honor of the 31st regular meeting of the heads of government of Russia and China, the St. Petersburg TV tower, Palace Bridge, and Trinity Bridge will be illuminated in the colors of the Russian and Chinese flags.
The commission members discussed a range of issues related to the development of bilateral relations in the humanitarian sphere. Konstantin Mogilevsky gave a report on cooperation in the field of education.
The Deputy Chairman of the State Committee for Health of the People’s Republic of China, Shen Hongbin, spoke about cooperation in the field of healthcare.
Deputy Minister of Culture of the Russian Federation Andrey Malyshev delivered reports on cooperation in the field of culture and cinematography.
The speech of the Deputy Minister of Culture and Tourism of the People’s Republic of China, Wang Jianhua, concerned cooperation in the field of tourism.
Deputy Minister of Sports of Russia Alexey Morozov dedicated his report to the development of sports relations between the two countries.
The speech of He Biao, Deputy Head of the General Administration of Radio, Film and Television of China, was dedicated to the interaction of media representatives, while Wang Shaozhong, Head of the State Archives Administration of China, addressed issues of cooperation in archival work.
The head of the Federal Agency for Youth Affairs, Grigory Gurov, gave a report on cooperation in the field of youth policy.
Summarizing all the speeches, Tatyana Golikova summed up the work for the period following the twenty-sixth meeting of the Russian-Chinese Commission on Humanitarian Cooperation.
“A landmark event that opened a new chapter in the history of our educational ties was the historic decision by the leaders of our states to hold the Years of Russian-Chinese Cooperation in the Field of Education in 2026—2027, — Tatiana Golikova reminded. Since the launch of this large-scale project within the Russian agenda, more than 90 events have been implemented. The Year of Education has received a lively response in all our educational institutions. We are pleased to observe the increase in student mobility indicators and the strengthening of ties between universities of the two countries. This is also confirmed by the number of bilateral cooperation documents — there are already more than seven thousand.”
Separately, the Deputy Prime Minister noted that the number of Chinese students studying at Russian medical universities has increased nearly tenfold over the past 10 years.
Tatyana Golikova summarized the experience of multilateral humanitarian cooperation: expanding the study of the literature of both countries, fruitful dialogue in the fields of culture and cinematography, exchange of exhibition and theatrical projects, cooperation in healthcare, sports, and tourism.
The introduction of a visa-free regime has contributed to the growth of mutual trips. In just the first half of 2026, tourist traffic between the countries increased one and a half times. To consolidate this success, the commission proposes to increase the number of flights between cities in Russia and China and to promote car tourism.
The Deputy Prime Minister emphasized the prospects of partnership in the fields of artificial intelligence and new media technologies, as well as noted the successes in implementing projects related to youth policy, the high interest of Russian and Chinese youth in participating in major events on the territories of both countries. In 2026, the number of participants exceeded 700 people, which is almost twice as many as last year.
Concluding her speech, Tatyana Golikova thanked Shen Yiqin for supporting the initiative to create a new subcommission — on cooperation in the social sphere. It will address issues of social security, birth rates, support for the elderly, and people with disabilities. This new direction of bilateral cooperation directly concerns every family, Tatyana Golikova emphasized.
At the conclusion of the meeting, the Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Tatiana Golikova and the member of the State Council of the People’s Republic of China Shen Yiqin signed the Protocol of the 27th meeting of the Russian-Chinese Commission on Humanitarian Cooperation.
Protocols of meetings of the subcommissions on cooperation in the fields of education, culture, cinematography, healthcare, tourism, mass media, archive affairs, and youth policy were also signed.
After the ceremony, Tatyana Golikova and Shen Yiqin made statements to the media in which they highlighted the key results of the work of the Russian-Chinese Commission on Humanitarian Cooperation.
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