Chinese festival to help unite peoples of China, Russia: cultural counselor

MOSCOW -- The forthcoming China Festival in Moscow, dedicated to the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China and the establishment of China-Russia diplomatic relations, will serve as a bridge that will unite the peoples of the two countries, the Chinese embassy in Russia said Monday.

"I'm sure that this festival will serve as a bridge that will unite our two great nations," the embassy's cultural counselor and director of the Chinese Cultural Center in Moscow Gong Jiajia said at a press conference.

Gong noted that great development of relations between China and Russia has been seen in recent years, citing, in particular, a joint statement on elevating bilateral ties to a comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for a new era, which was signed by the two heads of state in June.

"The two sides conduct very intensive and active cooperation in almost all areas: politics, economics, science, culture and education," she said, adding that the festival will give Russian people the opportunity to get more acquainted with Chinese culture.

In turn, Alexander Kozlov, deputy head of the first department of Asia of the Russian Foreign Ministry, extolled the friendly and mutually respectful relations between Beijing and Moscow, highlighting the importance of the upcoming festival.

"We need to get to know each other better. It helps us look to the future with optimism and helps our companies find partners and cooperate more," he added.

Russian experts said that the Chinese Festival in Moscow is an attempt to show part of the little-known China in cultural, historical, educational and humanitarian aspects.

"We hope that in this way we will be able to promote popular diplomacy, friendship and mutual understanding. And of course, the applied value of the festival is the deepening of the Russian-Chinese business partnership, especially in such a promising area as the digital economy," said Sergey Luzyanin, director of the Institute of the Far East of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

The China Festival in Moscow will be held from Sept. 13 to 15, during which various cultural events will be held, including exhibitions of Chinese lanterns and panda sculptures, performances by artists of Peking Opera, as well as workshops on Chinese calligraphy, painting, tea ceremony and folk music.

More than a million people are expected to visit the festival, according to the organizers of the events.