Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin attended the opening ceremony of the China-Russia Years of Education at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on May 20. The two presidents jointly unveiled the emblem for the education-themed bilateral initiative.

Huang Baoyin, secretary of the CPC University of International Business and Economics (UIBE) Committee, attended the opening ceremony alongside 20 Russian students from the university and witnessed the official launch of the China-Russia Years of Education.

This year marks the 30th anniversary of the establishment of the China-Russia strategic partnership of coordination and the 10th intergovernmental thematic year between the two countries, and the first of its kind focused on education.

Three Russian students from UIBE — Ivanova Anastasiia and Zolotykh Vladimir from the School of International Trade and Economics, and Kazitskaia Olga from the International School — shared their experiences studying and living at UIBE in an interview with China Central Television (CCTV).

With signature strengths in international education, UIBE has played a leading role in China-Russia educational cooperation. In 2013, it co-founded the Association of Sino-Russian Economic Universities (ASREU) with St. Petersburg State University of Economics. Over the past decade, the alliance’s more than 30 member institutions have achieved significant progress through expanded academic exchanges, benefiting tens of thousands of teachers and students in both countries.

The institution has also developed a number of flagship cooperative programs with leading Russian universities, including a joint master’s degree program with Moscow State Institute of International Relations and an undergraduate dual-degree program with Baikal State University of Economics and Law.

In addition, it maintains substantive exchanges with Lomonosov Moscow State University, St. Petersburg State University, and Russian State University for the Humanities.