Representatives from Russia, China and Kazakhstan discussed interaction between countries participating in the «New Silk Road» project in the context of economics, culture and geopolitics. The discussion took place during an international scientific and practical conference that opened in Novosibirsk.
On the agenda was strategic planning for Russian-Chinese relations in the context of Eurasian integration in the Silk Road Project economic space. Special attention was paid to the cultural and linguistic aspects of the Project.
The conference was opened by NSU Humanitarian Institute Director
Andrey Zuev. He wished participants productive dialogue and expressed his hope that as many innovative ideas as possible would be presented at the event.
According to Head of the NSU Department of International Relations
Eugene Sagaidak, the conference provided a promising opportunity to generate many new prospects for development. He stressed that the concept of the New Silk Road today is most interesting in terms of developing relations between Russia and China.
China and Russia today are strategic partners. We are destined to study each other's history. These types of events contribute to a productive exchange of opinions between representatives of different countries. I think the conference should become a tradition. Perhaps we could expand the format and, for example, hold the conference in Russia one year and China the next.
Eugene Sagaidak
Head of the NSU Department of International Relations
The Russian Director of the NSU Center for Chinese Language and Culture Sergei Komissarov also expressed hope that the conference will become a tradition. He noted that the «One Belt - One Road» Project is the leading development priority for China in the coming years.
– In China today a lot of attention is paid to the «The New Silk Road» Project. This Project is also interesting for Russia. A whole series of conferences devoted to the New Silk Road have taken place in Russia. These events make it possible for us to consider cultural, economic and geopolitical issues in a comprehensive manner. We tried to assess all of these aspects within the framework of the conference. I want to especially highlight sections on language that are very important for us. One was dedicated to teaching Chinese, and the second, introduced this year, is Russian as a foreign language, – said Komissarov.
The plenary session was opened by
Vladimir Petrovsky, Chief Scientists at the Center for the Study and Forecasting of Russian-Chinese Relations at the Far East Institute RAS. He talked about the focus of strategic planning for Russian-Chinese relations in the context of Eurasian integration and the Silk Road economic space.
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First of all, we must remember that this is a multifaceted Project. It is necessary to study jointly the rationale for the initiative’s concept. The Silk Road is the first attempt at globalization. The «One Belt One Road» initiative is globalization 2.0, and we must remember our historical experience and refer to it when necessary, – said Petrovsky.
The Center for Chinese Language and Culture and the Institute of Archeology and Ethnography of the SB RAS, with the assistance of the NSTU Confucius Institute Training Center and the State Chancellery of the People's Republic of China for the dissemination of the Chinese language (Hanban) were the organizers for this Second Conference, Linking «Concepts of the Eurasian Economic Space and the New Silk Road».