Events at Harbin

The first order of business at Harbin was to lay flowers at the monument to Soviet soldiers who fought and died to liberate Northeast China from the Japanese during WW2. Yesterday, Putin wore a gold lapel pin which was a reduced rendering of the large gold emblem seen at the monument’s midpoint. The two Russian Honor Guard soldiers also laid flowers. The monument was erected in Harbin on Hongbo Square on November 7, 1945. Just around the corner and down the street from the monument is Putin’s next stop, the Church of the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos.

Putin paid his respects in a church erected by railway workers in the 1930.

Now it’s on to Harbin Polytechnic University to meet with Chinese and Russian students and teachers at the university. Prior to the meeting, Putin was taken for a tour of the universities exhibits where he was warmly greeted.

And now on to the auditorium for the meeting.

Here’s part of the Kremlin’s introduction to the event:

Harbin Polytechnic University The university is one of the leading higher technical educational institutions China, a major center of key scientific and technological developments and innovations. More than 58 thousand students study here.

History of this university is closely connected with the life of the Russian emigration in the northeast of China at the beginning of the XX century and the activities of the Chinese-Eastern Railway Road. In 1954, this university was among the first six key universities in China for the training of engineers, for the educational involved teachers and scientists from the USSR.

The event is very similar to those Putin holds at Russian universities where he gives a short speech that’s followed by a Q&A session from students. There ‘re some very good queries that touch on policy matters readers will want to watch for, and as usual it’s a longish read; so, fix a beverage, relax and read:

Xiong Sihao: Dear President Putin, Dear guests, Dear teachers and students, Ladies and gentlemen, Good day to all!

I am the party secretary of Harbin Polytechnic University Xiong Sihao.

It is a great honor for me, on behalf of all the teachers and students of our university, to solemnly welcome the President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin.

Together with President Putin and colleagues from the Russian delegation, guests from the Chinese side are attending the event. They are Deputy Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu, Chinese Ambassador to Russia Zhang Hanhui, Vice-Governor of Heilongjiang Province Zhang Qixiang, and Rector of Harbin Polytechnic University Han Jiecai. Representatives, teachers and students of KHPU are also present. Greetings to all!

This year marks the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Russia, as well as the opening of the China-Russia Year of Culture. Under the strategic leadership of the two heads of state, the relations of comprehensive strategic partnership and interaction in the new era maintain a high level of development.

The president chose China for his first foreign visit since his re-election. This demonstrates the great importance that Mr. President attaches to China-Russia strategic partnership relations and reflects the deep and eternal friendship between the peoples of China and Russia.

Everyone knows that Harbin Polytechnic University is a springboard for Sino-Russian cooperation in the field of higher education. For more than 70 years, our university has been a practice of strong friendship between the peoples of the two countries, maintains close contacts with leading Russian universities in the field of education, science and technology and other fields, unites efforts to create a new structure for building a world-class university, continues to write a new chapter of friendship between the peoples of the two countries.

Let's invite President Putin to give a speech with a round of applause.

Vladimir Putin: Dear friends, good afternoon!

I am very happy to have the opportunity to visit Harbin Polytechnic University – one of the leading Chinese scientific, technical and innovation centers, and meet with you, students, teachers, and professors.

Just now, we talked about the rich history and saw a good exhibition related to the development of the university. You know very well that the university is inextricably linked with Russia from the very first years of its existence. Moreover, it was created by Russian specialists more than a century ago as a Russian-Chinese technical school that trained specialists for the China-Eastern Railway – an important transport artery in the Pacific region.

Look, if you invest the seed in the right direction, treat it carefully, it gives such good shoots: from a small school aimed at training personnel that the country needed at that time, such a wonderful, large higher education institution has grown, which is rapidly developing and meets all the requirements of today.

Subsequently, this school, with the participation of our compatriots, also grew into the Russian-Chinese Engineering Institute. And as I was just told at the exhibition, just two years later, the training period was already five years. This is already a full-fledged training period for getting a good education, higher education. Then it was transformed into Harbin Polytechnic University, where the widest range of academic and applied disciplines is now taught.

It is important that Harbin University carefully preserves the traditions of cooperation with our country and maintains fruitful partnerships with major Russian scientific and educational institutions, such as the Russian Academy of Sciences, its Far Eastern branch, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow Aviation Institute, Far Eastern Federal University, and Pacific State University.

A joint Engineering Institute with Bauman Moscow State Technical University has been successfully operating on the basis of Harbin Polytechnic University for several years. This is a unique two-way project, where participants have the opportunity not only to receive education according to general programs and manuals – but also it is noteworthy that students spend part of their education in Russia, and part in the People's Republic of China.

Very soon, another leading Russian educational institution – St. Petersburg State University – by the way, I graduated from this university and worked as an assistant to the rector of this university-will soon open a joint educational center with Harbin Polytechnic University. More than one and a half thousand Russian and Chinese students will study together advanced programs in mathematics, physics, chemistry, and other natural science disciplines. I am convinced that in the near future this center will become one of the flagships of Russian-Chinese cooperation in the field of education and science. Such intensive academic exchanges are of great importance, allowing us to combine the best traditions and experience of Russian and Chinese engineering schools, to train highly qualified specialists who are in demand both in the Russian economy and in the Chinese economy.

During yesterday's talks with President Xi Jinping, we were pleased to note that scientific and educational cooperation is one of the priorities in the development of the entire complex of Russian-Chinese relations, comprehensive partnership and strategic cooperation – I would also like to draw your attention to these words, which make a lot of sense: namely, comprehensive partnership and strategic cooperation, interaction. This is clearly demonstrated by the concrete steps we are taking and the results we are achieving.

Currently, about 50 thousand Chinese citizens receive higher education in Russia. In turn, about 16 thousand Russians study in China. But this, of course, is not the limit. Moreover, we have experienced a certain reduction during the pandemic period, due to certain mandatory sanitary restrictions. But I have no doubt that the number of students studying in both Russia and China, respectively, will grow.

China and Russia have 167 bilateral educational programs and 28 institutes with Russian participation. In total, there are 12 interuniversity associations between our countries, including about 600 educational institutions. The largest is the Association of Technical Universities of Russia and China, which unites 40 Russian and 36 Chinese universities. By the way, it also includes Harbin Polytechnic University.

It is also significant that in 2023, Russian and Chinese consular institutions issued a total of 34 thousand study visas, which is twice as much as in 2022.

I would like to emphasize that all bilateral educational programs are implemented in both Russian and Chinese, which, of course, are very difficult to learn. I think that both the Russian students present here and the Chinese are well aware of this.

But I think you will also agree that knowledge of a second language always opens up broader prospects not only for personal communication, but also for career growth, implementation of promising scientific research. And in general, knowledge of any foreign language is the door to a new world, to a different culture. Because without knowledge of the language, of course, you can also read and get acquainted with everything in translations, especially today, when you poked your finger on the Internet and the translation started. No, that's a different story. When you speak a language, then you understand the soul of the people, the soul of those people who speak this language as their native language – this is another story.

It is important that active contacts are maintained not only at educational institutions of the two countries, but also between our scientists who conduct research at the forefront of technological progress, and in various fields: medicine, biology, the creation of innovative materials, space exploration, and microelectronics.

Let me remind you in this regard that in 2020-2022, the cross-Years of scientific, technical and innovative cooperation were held with great success, during which more than a thousand joint studies were conducted with the participation of leading research centers and departments in Russia and China.

In this context, I can't help but mention that Harbin University is a forge of personnel for the Chinese nuclear industry. And, by the way, its graduates are actively involved in the implementation of Rosatom's projects for the construction of Russian-designed power units at the Tianwan NPP and Xudapu NPP in China.

The construction of these important energy facilities is proceeding in full accordance with the schedule. The new nuclear units, once put into operation, will make a significant contribution to China's energy supply and will supply Chinese enterprises and households with inexpensive and clean energy.

In addition, a fast-neutron experimental facility has been set up in China with the participation of Russia, where joint research is being conducted. A new demonstration fast reactor is also under construction. In turn, with the active assistance of Chinese partners, a unique NICA accelerator complex is being built in Dubna, near Moscow, on the basis of the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research of Russia. I am absolutely sure that experiments and experiments at this collider will make it possible to make truly world-class discoveries, move forward scientific and technological progress for the benefit of not only our two countries, but also, without any exaggeration, for the benefit of humanity.

In the near future, Russian-Chinese applied scientific cooperation plans to implement other breakthrough mega-science projects that no country in the world can manage on their own. And by joining forces together, we can certainly do a lot.

There are good achievements in such high-tech areas as the use of artificial intelligence in various sectors of the economy, big data processing, and quantum computing. Russia and China are doing a lot together in the field of nature conservation, protecting biodiversity and countering climate change.

Currently, the scientific communities of the two countries are working on technical solutions that will radically reduce carbon emissions. A program for creating so-called carbon polygons is being implemented. We are already implementing these projects in Russia. Technologies for reducing the hydrocarbon footprint are being tested. Joint activities are planned in terms of certification of "green" electricity, hydrogen and wind power.

Naturally, Russian and Chinese students and teachers not only take part in academic and scientific exchanges but are also actively involved in bilateral cultural and public projects, creative and volunteer activities. In other words, all of you, dear friends, make a real contribution to the development of friendly and good-neighborly Russian-Chinese relations.

Let me sincerely wish you success, new discoveries, new achievements and a good, interesting career, personal success and your work for the benefit of your homeland, for the benefit of China, for the benefit of the people of China and for the development of Russian-Chinese relations and Russian-Chinese friendship.

Thank you for your attention. Thank you.

Xiong Sihao: Thank you, Mr. President, for your excellent speech.

Now let's move on to the questions and answers. Please raise your hand, introduce yourself first, and then ask your question.

We give the opportunity to ask the first question to a student in white. You are welcome.

Lu Zhi: Dear Mr. President, hello!

My name is Lu Zhi. My specialty is chemistry. I study under the two-degree program of KHPU and St. Petersburg State University. I'm a bachelor's student.

The common desire of China and Russia is to promote mutual understanding and strengthen the social foundation of eternal friendship between the peoples of the two countries. As they say, the main thing in relations between countries is close and sincere feelings between peoples.

How do you think young people can further deepen cultural exchanges in order to strengthen mutual understanding, solidarity and cope with challenges?

Thank you.

Vladimir Putin: In order to achieve results in any kind of activity, you need, first of all, to love what you do. If you love, you will definitely think about every detail of what you do, day and night: when you wake up, you will think about it, when you go to bed, you will think about it, and you will always find the right solutions.

But in today's world, especially in science, education, and the economy in general, one thing is very important that, without any doubt, creates competitive advantages in achieving goals – this is the ability to work in a team.

And when I spoke about Russian-Chinese cooperation, including in the field of education, science, and technology, this is a combination of international efforts, the ability to work in international teams increases the chances of success many times over. Young people who are focused on the future, think about the future, work on it, and of course, by combining their efforts, can achieve a lot together. Russia and China have already done a lot on this path, and this is very important for young people, and in all areas: This also applies to education, obtaining knowledge, achieving results in the course of research, in the course of creating some technical samples and important ones for the future, in the course of joint developments. Here it is very important to follow one rule-not to think about how to beat someone, but to think about how to become better yourself. And by combining our efforts, we are achieving just this result. So the future is yours. We can only wish you success.

As for the heads of departments and states, we will do our best to create such conditions for you.

Good luck to you!

Excuse me, please, but maybe we should act democratically. There are a lot of students here, everyone raises their hands, I will just choose in a row.

Xiong Sihao: I agree to transfer this right.

Vladimir Putin: By the way, we don't just have questions and answers. Do you have any ideas, suggestions, or suggestions on how to organize educational processes and interaction between countries and universities? This does not mean that… I'm not an Internet person, I won't answer every question you ask, but I'll try to formulate my opinion on the topics that you care about.

Please, please.

Vladimir Chubrevich: Mr. President, I welcome you.

My name is Chubrevich Vladimir Vladimirovich.

Vladimir Putin: What a coincidence!

Vladimir Chubrevich: I am a second-year student of Harbin Polytechnic University, Faculty of Chinese Language and Literature.

We know that there are now a lot of students from Russia who want to have the opportunity, have the opportunity and are currently studying in China. What do you think about this occasion, which is better for a person from Russia: to get a Russian education or a Chinese education in order to invest development not only in their own country, but also in the Chinese country?

Thank you.

Vladimir Putin: It does not matter where you get your education, it is important that it is of high quality – this is the first thing.

And secondly, you need to learn to learn yourself and always learn. You are probably already familiar with this thesis.

Now we are implementing such forms of education, at least in Russia, but I don't know how it is here at the university: students can choose certain courses themselves. This is being implemented at St. Petersburg University and Moscow State University. You can take part of the course in one educational institution, or you can take part of the course in another educational institution. Getting an education today – and it is developing this way in practice-should be very flexible, so that a person has the opportunity to choose the most promising areas of development for himself and get the knowledge that he believes is necessary to achieve his life goals.

What you have chosen and are studying here is a good choice. This is a good educational institution with traditions, with a very good level of training of the teaching staff. There are also academicians working here, people who themselves have achieved practical results in their work. And this is very important. It is very important when a person transmits not only the knowledge obtained from books, which is important in itself, but also very important, of course, to have direct contact with those who practically work in laboratories, in production, in modern enterprises. All this should be combined in the training of highly qualified specialists. This is what you need to think about.

What is your specialty?

V. Chubrevich: Chinese literature.

Vladimir Putin: Literature. Where, if not in China, to study Chinese literature? The choice is correct, I congratulate you on this choice.

Please, let's move on to this sector.

Gao Han: Mr. President, hello!

I'm a first-year student, my name is Gao Han.

I know you love music. In 2017, when you participated in the "One Belt, One Road" forum in Beijing, you played music on the piano that symbolizes Moscow and St. Petersburg.

What influence did art have on your formation as a person? And what is your opinion on cooperation between the two countries in this area?

Vladimir Putin: This is a very important area of work, because culture reflects the entire nation, its entire history.

As for Chinese culture, it is one of the oldest cultures in the world. We know this very well in Russia. And in China, they probably not only know, but are also proud of it, and they are doing the right thing, there is something to be proud of. One of the oldest cultures. The fundamental, fundamental things of Chinese culture somehow penetrated into the cultures of the world, into the cultures of other peoples of the world.

As for music, music is a universal art form. After all, this is not a literary work, nothing is written there. This is not even oral creativity. There are some types of creativity that are passed down orally from generation to generation. Those peoples who are representatives of these cultures did not have a written language. By the way, they say that this is the most accurate transmission, because written sources always change over time, someone always makes some changes, and oral samples are transmitted almost with filigree accuracy from generation to generation. This is not important, but what is important is that the music-there are no words, there is only a soul, there is only a figurative perception of what the composer wanted to convey to the audience. This is a universal art form. In this sense, it may even be like a dance – it goes straight to the depths of each person's soul and, of course, forms a personality.

In this sense, the ability to listen and understand music is very important, in my opinion, for anyone, especially for a young person who is just forming spiritually. Even people who are engaged in technical sciences, technical disciplines, in my opinion, it is very important to devote part of their lives to such types of creativity as music, it ennobles us, makes us kinder and creates opportunities to achieve goals in other areas of activity.

Therefore, I also wish you all the best in this direction.

Chinese folk art is of great importance here, and the best examples of the Russian and Soviet music schools are, of course, works of world significance. They will undoubtedly play a positive role for any person.

I would like to wish you every success in this field, no matter what you actually do as a university student.

You are welcome.

Question: Hello, Vladimir Vladimirovich!

My name is Oksana. I am a student at Harbin University. I am also a representative of the Association of Russian Students.

Our association is dedicated to bringing together Russian students in China, maintaining Russian traditions away from home, and, of course, developing Russian-Chinese relations.

Please tell us what actions the government plans to take to attract new Russian students to Chinese universities.

Vladimir Putin: As I have already said, 50 thousand students from China study in Russia and 16 thousand of our compatriots study in Chinese universities. I repeat, this is not the limit. We will make every effort to expand student exchanges. Our Chinese friends and partners are also committed to the same interaction.

Speaking just now, in his opening speech, he said that many partnerships between universities have been formed and will continue to be formed. We will follow this path. A large number of cooperation agreements have been signed.

As I mentioned, an entire campus is being built here to develop cooperation with St. Petersburg State University. Branches of Russian universities are being created in China, joint educational institutions are being created, a whole network of them has already been created, and Moscow University in southern China, between Moscow State University and Peking University.

Of course, Peking and Shanghai Universities enjoy the greatest attention and interest, but others, like Harbin Poly, are becoming more and more well-known in Russia. Interest in getting an education in China, and Chinese young people's interest in getting an education in Russia is growing.

We will move forward in all these areas, which I have just mentioned, and we will definitely develop.

And among other things, we are increasing the number of contacts among young people in general, in principle. Most recently, the "Games of the Future" were held in Kazan, where a large team of children from China took part. A BRICS Youth Forum will be held within the framework of BRICS. We will actively move in this direction. And I am sure that this is the future: for exchanges, for obtaining new knowledge, for contacts with teachers. And this is a separate type of activity – training of higher school teachers in contacts with large enterprises, especially high-tech ones.

Since our relations with the People's Republic of China are developing very rapidly, and in all areas, I want to emphasize this, this immediately raises the need for specialists who can not only speak two languages, but also understand each other and work together in the relevant areas.

Chinese language teaching in Russia is now actively developing. In schools and universities, about 90 thousand people study Chinese, and about the same number – 80 thousand with a little – study Russian in China. And the number of such people will certainly grow.

Do you know what this is related to? With a very simple circumstance: the volume of cooperation is increasing, enterprises, various types and areas of activity require specialists who have both knowledge and appropriate languages. It's just that life itself requires such specialists. On the part of the state, we will do everything possible to support this process, because without the availability of specialists, including those with language skills, it is simply impossible to move forward in the development of all strategic issues. So this process, without any doubt, will be supported by States on both sides.

Let's move to this sector.

L. Matveev: Good afternoon, Mr President!

My name is Lev Matveev. I am a master's student at Harbin Polytechnic University.

In February of this year, you announced that this year marks the 75th anniversary of the conclusion of diplomatic relations between Russia and China.

Vladimir Putin: I didn't say it, it just happened 75 years ago.

L. Matveev: These relations are currently at the highest level.

You also expressed hope that this year the parties will jointly organize a cultural year and various events for humanitarian exchange.

Therefore, we would like to know whether cooperation in the field of culture will promote cooperation and exchange in the field of science, technology and innovation. And what role will international students play in this?

Thank you very much.

Vladimir Putin: Yesterday, together with our friend the President of the People's Republic of China, we opened the Year of Culture of Russia and China. A large number of cultural events will be held in both countries. This means that there will be exhibitions, seminars, and performances by our well-known creative teams in both countries. This is a big event, packed with a wide variety of activities. Of course, this will be connected with direct communication between people, especially young people.

I have already mentioned the BRICS summit, which will be held in Russia, in Kazan, and there will be a youth forum. At the end of this year, a regular event of young scientists will be held in Sochi, more precisely, on the federal territory of Sirius, in the south of the country, on the Black Sea coast. We would love to see you and representatives of Chinese youth organizations there. These are, of course, primarily students, volunteers, and so on.

So there will be a lot of events. I am sure that they will all benefit the development of our relations.

Wu Dia Sin: Good afternoon, dear Vladimir Vladimirovich!

Vladimir Putin: Good afternoon!

Wu Dia Sin: My name is Wu Dia Sin. I am a Bachelor's degree student at the Institute of International Education.

Please tell us, in the context of the efforts of Russia and China to strengthen cultural exchanges and humanitarian cooperation, how can international students more effectively become a bridge of cultural exchanges between the two countries?

We are also interested in the unique role that our Russian students can play in promoting cultural exchanges between the two countries.

Thank you.

Vladimir Putin: You know, the fact that our students study here and Chinese students study in Russia is already a good thing. But I am sure that young people, as it has always been, at all times, are full of desire to show their creative abilities in various structures, to show initiative in contacts with their peers, to show interest in participating in various educational courses not only in the host country, but also in another country, in particular in Russia. We need to act in all these areas.

When we started this conversation, I said, if you noticed, that I would like to hear from you not only questions, but also some suggestions. If you have any suggestions related to creating conditions for additional exchanges, please do not hesitate to say so. And my colleagues and I, and at the highest level – representatives of high administrative structures of our Chinese friends are also present here – will take all this into account and try to implement it. Therefore, I repeat this point once again to all those gathered here.

But for our part, as I have already mentioned some of these activities, we will continue to do all this, including organizing further joint work between higher education institutions in China and Russia.

But not only that. We will continue to work together through scientific organizations and industrial associations in high-tech areas. And all this will create additional incentives and conditions for achieving the goals that you have just outlined-increasing the number of contacts and the quality of these contacts for young people. We will do this without fail, and we will work together in this direction.

Let me repeat once again: if there are any ideas, this may be such a rare occasion when you can all say so. We will definitely hear it and try to respond.

All the best to you!

Question: Mr. President, hello!

I am a student from the Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities of KHPU.

Russia is now paying a lot of attention to the development of the Far Eastern regions, and China is paying a lot of attention to the development of the North – east of China. What do you think about the possible future cooperation between these two regions?

Vladimir Putin: Thank you for this question. This gives me the opportunity to speak about the importance of the development directions of the Russian Far East and the North-east of China. These are neighboring regions, the largest border length is three thousand [kilometers], in my opinion. We are improving the infrastructure, and we are doing everything in Russia to create conditions for the development of the Far East. And we have created a whole set of preferences so that all foreign "stakeholders", as we say, all our possible partners and friends from any country, including China, can try their hand at cooperation and business development in the Far Eastern region of Russia. But, of course, first of all we are talking about our friends and neighbors. This is a natural way to interact and cooperate with those who are closer, with those who have maintained good, friendly relations for decades.

Yesterday I spoke with our consul, who works here. He says that a very good environment here in China and in Harbin is created for cooperation, and at the domestic level. We have, I assure you, in the Far East everything is the same. This is very important, it is extremely important when such a friendly environment is created, I would even say very important-at the everyday level, when people are pleasant to each other, want to communicate with each other, strive for each other and trust each other. This is a very important circumstance for developing cooperation at the highest level. We have it, and this is a huge advantage over all other regions.

As for what we do, as we say in such cases, in a substantive and meaningful way, we, of course, create favorable conditions for business development in the Far Eastern region. A whole network of priority development areas, preferences in the tax system, customs, the free port of Vladivostok and a whole network of preferential regimes has been created. But in China, here in the province, in Harbin, our friends, your senior comrades, have long been following the path of creating preferential regimes for the development of the territories of this province. And it works well. Here we need to be very attentive to what we do, share our experience, and use each other's experience to create the best possible conditions.

The result for the Russian Far East, I believe, is there. We can see that. For example, the volume of investment in the Far Eastern region is three times greater than in all other territories of the Russian Federation. All the same, this probably means that investors are responding to the offers that we make.

But we try to create conditions not only for business, for doing business, we also try to create conditions for people's lives. This applies, of course, first of all to Russian citizens, and we are also creating preferential conditions for obtaining housing there, especially for young families and those who have children. We are developing medicine there at an accelerated pace. This is also one of the areas of cooperation.

We are now creating a very large cultural cluster in Vladivostok, where there will be a very good world-class opera and ballet theater, a music school, a choreographic school with branches of the country's leading universities, the Hermitage, the Russian Museum, and Moscow museums. I very much hope that this cluster will be an attraction for the entire Asia-Pacific region, but, of course, first of all for our friends and neighbors. This is also so that young people – girls and young men – can get an education in these disciplines, perform at each other, exchange best practices and work in these very interesting and important areas for people.

So, in my opinion, the prospects for developing cooperation are very good. And everything depends not only on us, on those who do it, but also on our common efforts, including such interested young people as you.

Thank you.

I can't see behind the cameras, but my hands are up. Please give me a microphone.

Zhang Zihan: Mr. President, nihao!

Vladimir Putin: Nihao!

Zhang Zihan: Mr. President, hello!

I'm a mechanical engineering student, my name is Zhang Zihan.

Last year, in March, when you held talks with Xi Jinping, you suggested that the countries should achieve new achievements in aviation, space, trade and economy. Our university has a very good educational base in the field of cosmonautics, and we have very close exchanges with Russian teachers and students.

How do you see the two countries ' universities and research institutions continue to develop cooperation in these areas?

Vladimir Putin: I look at it very positively.

But first of all, I would like to congratulate you as a specialist in this field, and I would like to congratulate the university management on the fact that such a powerful cluster for training personnel in the field of cosmonautics and aviation has been created. A lot has really been done here. But the most important and most basic congratulations to the leadership of the country, the leadership of the Communist Party, for being able to concentrate the efforts of the state in this important area of development and have achieved noticeable, if not outstanding achievements in the field of space exploration. China has done a lot in this direction, but I won't list it all now: both the lunar program and the creation of its national Chinese station in low-Earth orbit.

We have many good and promising areas of cooperation. Russia also has remarkable competencies. Russia has largely been, and in some areas remains, a leader in space exploration. At the present stage, what we can be proud of and where we are the undisputed leader is the engine industry for space applications, including the possibility of using nuclear technologies for deep space exploration. We have other things that we are proud of and will certainly develop them.

But these are all very capital-intensive programs, including, say, deep space exploration and lunar exploration, and here we have joint plans with our Chinese friends. While working in all these areas, we will certainly need specialists who are in demand both on the one hand and on the other and can work in joint teams, which I already mentioned at the beginning of our meeting. Therefore, as far as space is concerned, as well as space itself, the possibilities for cooperation are limitless.

As for aviation, there are also interesting destinations here. They are not developing as fast as I would like, to be honest, but the work on creating our own wide-body aircraft is, in my opinion, also one of the interesting and, most importantly, necessary topics.

Of course, we need cooperation with the whole world and, above all, with those structures in the world that are achieving the best results in this or that area. But, unfortunately, today's world is so organized that sometimes there are situations associated with unfair competition.

As the Americans recently took and imposed sanctions on China on electric transport, on electric vehicles. Why? For what? But because Chinese cars have become better-that's why, there is no other reason. This is an example of unfair competition.

The same goes for, say, aviation. We are now facing these restrictions in Russia. But there is also a downside to the coin. Yes, it is not very good that we have encountered these difficulties, but it is good that it encourages us to work more intensively, to work on our own in this area. And taking into account the fact that China faces the same difficulties, to a greater or lesser extent, but we see that this is happening in the modern world, so you need to have your own competencies in key areas. We need to be able to produce high-tech products in key areas of development, including those that the country cannot do without. This also includes aviation equipment.

Another direction is helicopter construction. Our Chinese friends once made a proposal and asked us to work together on the creation of a heavy helicopter. We are moving quite successfully in this direction. I hope that together we will create a good car based on our heavy helicopter.

There are other promising areas – in any case, this is something that we should definitely do together. And we will do it.

I wish you every success. I hope you will also be included in this work. You and those who are sitting here in the audience and dealing with this problem.

)Question: Dear Mr. President,

I'm from the Space Technology Institute of Harbin Polytechnic University.

You have already visited China many times. Tell me, what do you like most about Chinese food? I can also recommend some Heilongjiang dishes. I am sure that you can also advise us on some Russian dishes.

Thank you.

Vladimir Putin: How good that a person who is engaged in space, thinks about food. We have Pushkin said: you can be a good person and think about the beauty of your nails. This is relevant to this situation.

In general, to be honest, this is not an idle question, because the cuisine of any nation – any nation is also part of its culture, part of the culture of this people. There really aren't that many such great world cuisines. Chinese is definitely one of them.

What do I love most? I can say what I know the most, but it is known all over the world, I'm even ashamed that I can't name these names, but everyone in Russia knows Peking duck for sure, one hundred percent.

For example, yesterday my friend, the President of the People's Republic of China, treated me to such a Peking duck. There were two pieces. I thought I was only going to eat one piece. But-you know, right? - I couldn't resist eating the second one, it was too delicious.

By the way, our cuisine is very different-Russian and Chinese. Nevertheless, there is something in common-dumplings of various kinds. We love and cook dumplings very much, and in China they do it.

You know, the most important thing is probably not even that. The most important thing is that both the Russian people and the Chinese are very hospitable. We love our guests, we love our friends, we always meet them with pleasure and try to make them like everything, including what is offered on the table.

This is a very good question. thank you.

Please, let's move to this sector.

Question: Good afternoon, dear Vladimir Vladimirovich!

My name is Konstantin, I am a student at the Institute of International Education. I've known your story since I was a child. Thanks to your excellent leadership, Russia has been able to achieve success in a wide variety of areas.

In addition to your deep gratitude, you are an example to all of us. Your perseverance and vision have always inspired me to grow.

Vladimir Vladimirovich, how did you develop these excellent qualities?

Thank you.

Vladimir Putin: I don't know. So it happened.

In general, it seems to me that I, like all people, lack a lot. I still have to work on myself. And maybe I've answered your question now. Because when a person treats himself critically, believes that he still has a lot to do and work hard on himself, then, probably, he achieves success. I wish you the same.

You are welcome.

Question: Mr. President, hello!

I am a student of the Institute of Electronics of KHPU.

I am honored to ask you a question. I'm from Harbin. Welcome to my small homeland, Harbin! I want to hear about your impressions of this city.

Thank you.

Vladimir Putin: I'll tell you what I think. This is my first time here.

When I read the references before coming here, it says that there is still some Russian, Russian origin, especially in the center. I even mentioned it in my speech just now. It seems that everything is so. But still, the most basic impression, so to speak, is the power of Harbin.

Harbin has developed in recent years into a powerful megacity, I would say, on a global scale. How many 10 million people do I think live here, right? It's a huge city. A huge metropolis. And it looks like a megacity: modern, energetic, developing. This can be seen in the rhythm of life. And you're lucky to live in a city like Harbin.

I just want to apologize to the residents of the city for the fact that with our arrival, I saw it, quite strict security measures were taken. (Laughter in the audience.) It's not my fault, I can honestly say. Local comrades work professionally and rigidly. I understand everything, probably it should be so. In any case, this causes certain inconveniences for citizens. The press works here. Please excuse me, we will leave soon, your life will return to normal.

Let's move downtown. Please, there's a raised hand. Give it to anyone anyway. Please give me a microphone. But let's not delay any longer.

Question: Hello, Vladimir Vladimirovich!

I am studying for a master's degree in my first year, bachelor's degree, I studied at the St. Petersburg Polytechnic University.

Vladimir Putin: Polytech is a very good institution.

Remark: Yes.

You have already recently mentioned the problem of specialists and language skills, talked about some proposals, about some projects. I know that in the field of inter-language diplomacy, for example, there is a university-based UN model. The UN model is being built…

Vladimir Putin: What is being built?

Remark: A model of the UN is being built, and different groups in different languages are practicing the same language. What about people who just learn Chinese and then want to be engineers, for example, or chemists?

Vladimir Putin: And what's stopping you? I know one girl, such a young person studied foreign languages, in my opinion, now speaks five languages, and then defended her PhD in higher mathematics. So what? Great.

Question: How can our state help students who study Chinese in Russia to get additional education in the future?

Vladimir Putin: But in a different specialty?

Remark: Yes.

Vladimir Putin: Why not? You can do this here, please. In our country, it is not forbidden to get a second higher education.

Remark: This requires even more time, another five years. Is it possible to connect in an adjacent one?

Vladimir Putin: This is about the duration, I guess. You need to learn constantly.

Listen, of course, knowing the language of another nation is very interesting and very important, especially in the modern world. And I repeat, no computer translator can replace a living knowledge of the language.

Are there any difficulties with getting some kind of additional education after learning the language?

Replica: In my example, it looks like when I finished my bachelor's degree, I was faced with a practice problem.

Vladimir Putin: That is?

Replica: That is, there were no real cases at the university. The university gave a lot, but, unfortunately, entering the labor market, you had to plunge directly into a certain field, again, looking at the segmentation of the market, this is foreign economic activity or, for example, trade, or go into engineering. This is a different language. Or, for example, going into chemistry is a different language.

Vladimir Putin: Different vocabulary, you mean?

Remark: Yes. The problem is vocabulary and lack of knowledge. That is, if you go and study for something else, for a second education, you need to understand the future, you need to understand whether it will be in demand in the Russian market or not, you need to understand whether it will be interesting for employers.

Vladimir Putin: This is not an easy question. It's not a question, it's a problem. It is very correct that you formulate it. I will think about what I can do in addition, and I will definitely consult with my colleagues so that there is more information. As I understand it, this is the root of the whole question.

We need young people and specialists to have more information about where they can apply their knowledge. We are now trying to do this in our country, to establish more direct contact with future employers, so that a person, when studying, would already receive practical skills, would have practice in our large, of course, primarily innovative companies, and so that he could determine his future specialization.

But in your case, when you are just learning a language, then you need to choose some direction of further education, first you need to choose what you want to do. Here you are the best adviser to yourself. But nevertheless, what you said made me think that even more needs to be done to ensure that young people have a conscious choice of their future profession. This early career guidance is what we are currently doing in the country. Let's strengthen this direction. If there's anything I can do for you, please tell me, and I'll be happy to do it.

Replica: Thank you.

Question: Mr. President, I am from KHPU, from the Faculty of Electronics, and I will be graduating soon.

I want to know: what are the chances for us, for researchers in the field of new energy in Russia? If I apply in Russia, for example, will I be able to get any support in this area?

Vladimir Putin: You know, the employer is quite capricious. He looks at the future specialist, at the young specialist quite critically, always tries to find the right person for him to perform a specific job. That is why, just now, in response to your colleague, who is also studying here, I said that in Russia we are trying to establish a wide range of contacts with future employees of enterprises.

Our large companies are already working in our main higher education institutions, they select future employees from the second, third, and fourth year in advance and conduct internships. I can't really get my bearings right now, I don't know what exactly you do, but in general, our high-tech companies are looking for specialists.

Today, due to a number of circumstances, first of all, of course, the economic policy pursued by the country's leadership and the Government, we have a historically low level of unemployment. It has already fallen to less than three percent – 2.8–2.9 percent unemployment, it is almost nonexistent. So what am I talking about? To the fact that the labor market is not fully filled, and even more so I can say this about highly qualified specialists: Russia needs them. And if you use your profile just to start sending out some of the companies that you think are of interest to you, then, in my opinion, you will get an answer. I am ready to help you too. Send your resume to your superiors, and we'll send it out.

And our companies are looking for foreign specialists, and, oddly enough, despite all the sanctions cases, despite all the geopolitical costs, people from Europe and North America come to work here, and people work there. And often their wages are higher than what they received at home, including, I repeat, even in North America and Europe. They come and work.

It is necessary, of course, that the employer assesses both your capabilities and the prospects for your development as a specialist. But it is quite possible.

Let's go further away, you can't see behind the cameras, in the central sector. Give me a microphone.

You are welcome.

Question: Dear President Putin,

I'm also from the Space Institute, studying for a master's degree. You just mentioned that we have strong cooperation in all areas. I would like to ask about satellite navigation systems, as well as lunar exploration. Do we have an opportunity to develop cooperation on the construction of space stations?

Thank you.

Vladimir Putin: As for satellite navigation systems, they are extremely important and popular equipment all over the world. And the more high-tech a country becomes, the more and more it needs such equipment. And in general, soon, in my opinion, there will not be such industries in the world that could successfully develop without the use of space technologies.

Navigation is an essential component of the development of any high-tech economy. At the time, thank God, I think we did this in time, and now our GLONASS system is functioning quite successfully.

I can tell you that I am partly proud of this, because we have created GLONASS, because in order for the space navigation system to work successfully, we need a certain group of spacecraft in orbit on a permanent basis, which could cover the entire globe with its activities.

Unfortunately, this has been the case for us for several years, so we have been catching up with the number of these devices to a certain level, but it has always been incomplete. And while we were launching the next spacecraft, some of those that were operating, "sitting" in orbit, we were already shooting from orbit. In the end, this led to a serious conversation in the Government, with the Ministry of Finance, I said: are we going to be putting an insufficient number of vehicles into orbit all the time? We need to create a full-fledged grouping in the end. This is always related to budget funding. Nevertheless, we decided to create this full-fledged space group. First.

Second. I do not know, but we will have to ask our colleagues about the lifetime of Chinese satellites in orbit, but we have significantly increased the life cycle of our satellites in orbit. It functions steadily. Beidou Chinese works very well. And we, of course, complement each other, we can exchange information. This is very important for the movement of ships, for the movement of aircraft, for the movement of road and rail transport. This significantly reduces costs and reduces the use of energy resources in transport and other areas. Very important work. There is no limit to improvement, signal accuracy and other parameters are very important. So we are working in this direction and will continue to work.

As for the Moon, I repeat: together with our friends, Chinese specialists, we have certain plans. These are capital-intensive projects, but they are very interesting and very promising. Maybe you will also participate.

Thank you.

Let's move to the left sector. Please give me a microphone.

Dmitry Chesnokov: Hello, dear Vladimir Vladimirovich!

My name is Dmitry Chesnokov. I am a Master's degree student at the Institute of International Education of Harbin Polytechnic University.

We know that you love sports, including judo, skiing, hockey, and racing. Tell us, how can we maintain a healthy lifestyle and develop healthy habits in our daily work and life? And also how can sports affect the path to success and the relationship between two great countries like Russia and China?

Thank you.

Vladimir Putin: The first question was, if I understand correctly, how can we do sports?

I appeal to everyone: we are all, all sitting in this room, and I, we are all lazy people. People are generally lazy. You need to get rid of laziness: get up in the morning and immediately start sports activities. If you don't succeed, then you need to build a schedule so that every day a certain amount of time is devoted to physical culture and sports. Every single day! When it becomes a habit, then you can't live without it. And this is a very correct way to organize your working day.

In general, the more you do during the day, the more you get. This is always the case. Don't feel sorry for yourself. As soon as you start feeling sorry for yourself, that's all, you immediately start to roll down in all indicators, including sports.

Of course, everything must be done wisely, and you can't go crazy either. But you need to study every day, choose an interesting, promising activity for yourself and do it with pleasure. Of course, it is important that everything is done with pleasure.

As for cooperation in the field of sports, it is very important, in my opinion, between the countries in general and between Russia and China in particular.

We keep saying that Russia is a great sporting power. But I can say with good reason that China is also a great sporting power. We are proud to have held the biggest international competitions at the highest level. And China is doing it, and doing it brilliantly, very well. Our interaction here only increases our capabilities. This is also important in high-performance sports, as well as at the level of physical culture and mass sports.

I do not know, right now I just do not have such data on how many people are engaged on a permanent basis in China as a percentage, but we should strive to ensure that by 2030 we set the goal that at least 70 percent of the population systematically engage in physical culture and sports.

We are constantly increasing the number of people who systematically engage in physical education and sports every day, but we have not yet reached the required parameter of 70 percent, but we will definitely go to this figure. To do this, of course, the state needs to create conditions for people, create incentives, including, by the way, material ones, create appropriate sports facilities, and the simplest and, at first glance, primitive, but popular ones, within walking distance. We will do all this in the country. And, of course, we will cooperate with our Chinese friends in the development of sports. After all, you see, this creates a very favorable atmosphere for communication between people, especially between young people.

President Xi Jinping and I often talk about this. Yesterday, by the way, we talked. We sat down yesterday for a working dinner in a very small format, literally four or five people on both sides, and also talked about sports. And they devoted quite a lot of time to this. So it was and will always be the focus of our attention.

Please, please.

Wei Dongjie: Hello, Mr. President!

I am very grateful for this opportunity to ask a question. My name is Wei Dongjie.

You just said that the universe is infinite, and our prospects for cooperation are endless. I have many students and friends who are very interested in Russian culture and achievements in the field of cosmonautics.

I would like to ask you: exchanges between states, between cities, you also talked about border cooperation – how could the two governments make it easier for young people to learn about the technologies and culture of another country, a neighboring country?

Vladimir Putin: If we talk about such primitive things, which at first glance seem primitive, we need to create a communication infrastructure, create various forums, organize events, which is exactly what we are doing. I've already mentioned some of them, so there's probably no point in repeating myself. I just want to emphasize that we understand that we need to create such formats, and we will continue to do so.

By the way, the cross-Cultural Year we announced yesterday with the President of the People's Republic of China is also aimed at this. We need to create technological infrastructures, create conditions for joint work in the field of sports, culture, education, and joint activities. We are all doing this, and we are going to continue this work.

We have now signed 300 partnership agreements between various municipalities in China and Russia, and this also includes different groups of the population, and, by the way, first of all young people. We have supported this and will certainly continue to do so.

A young man raises his hand there. I ask you to.

Nikolai Kuzmin: Hello, dear Mr. President,

Vladimir Putin: Hello!

Nikolai Kuzmin: My name is Nikolai Kuzmin. I am a first-year doctoral student at Harbin Polytechnic University, majoring in Environmental Science and Engineering.

My question is this. Now it is known for certain that education reform is in full swing in Russia. So now, as far as I know, instead of bachelor's and master's degrees, there will be higher education and specialized higher education. In the context of the current education reform, will the experience of studying in China, as well as in other countries, be taken into account? Isn't it possible that when you return to Russia, you will need to re-enter the lower levels of education?

Vladimir Putin: No, it won't work. This is a practical question. We thought about it. As a matter of fact, we are not even talking about some kind of global reform, but rather about setting some priorities in certain areas of activity in science and education.

Experts have come to the conclusion that we need to return to the system of training specialists in this area, which we also had in the Soviet Union, making adjustments, of course, to the requirements of today. This is done largely in contact with employers, because we are talking about training specialists in modern, popular specialties, taking into account what the employer would like to see in their companies, firms, and enterprises.

But what you said is of practical significance. This applies to those young people who are currently studying and receiving education in the framework of bachelor's, master's and so on, I will not go into details now. But nothing will be required of you from the point of view of the need to retrain, go down to some lower level in order to confirm the level of your education, for example, in a bachelor's degree. Everything will happen naturally, gently and smoothly. There should be no failures here, and no additional problems will arise for you.

Nikolai Kuzmin: Thank you very much.

Question: Mr. President, hello!

I am a student of the Materials department.

You said that you really like to study. Studying is a very good way of life. Do you still have the habit of reading? Do you have such a busy schedule, do you have time to read books, works of art? And which writer has had the greatest impact on you?

Thank you.

Vladimir Putin: I really want to say: I am so educated, I have such a stereotype-to read constantly! I can't lie, unfortunately, I can't read as well as I would like. My books are on the nightstand in front of my bed, and I sometimes open them. However, when I manage to do it, I do it with pleasure.

As for the influence of literature on the formation of a person, then, of course, it is one of the main ones. In any case, during my school years, the Soviet system had its advantages, and people of my generation were brought up on Russian classics. However, I must honestly say that some things that were studied at school, at least earlier – - the young man was not ready for some things. And only then, when you reread some things, reread some books, you begin to perceive them differently and understand the depth of what is stated there. This applies to such classics as Tolstoy and even Chekhov, Dostoevsky, especially Dostoevsky.

In general, the ability to communicate with intelligent people who have expressed their thoughts about life and existence in written works is very important. It really shapes a person. And as soon as I have time, especially before going to bed, I try to open the book and leaf through it, look at it, read it.

The media changes. Once they wrote in Russia on birch bark – this is birch bark, in China they wrote on clay tablets, and we also did this at some time. Then they started writing on paper. Now they write on the Internet. The media is different. Content matters – that's what matters. It doesn't matter where you got the information from, it just matters what the content is.

And it is very difficult, especially in the modern world, to choose this content in a huge information flow. But I must admit that the classics still help, create guidelines for choice, cultivate taste, I would say so. And this is very important.

Therefore, no matter how much you want to click or view something on the Internet, communication with the book still matters.

Question: Hello, Mr. President!

I'm from the Institute of Energy. We have joint engine development projects, and I went to Moscow on the subject of aircraft engines for research.

What measures can be taken by the two governments to support research in such technological areas and for language training on the part of the partner?

Thank you.

Vladimir Putin: You have a very interesting and highly sought-after specialty. This is exactly what Russia was proud of and what we are proud of now. The engine industry as a whole in Russia was developed and is now developing. We lost some things after the collapse of the Soviet Union, because some of our engines were produced in other parts of the Soviet Union, not in Russia, marine engines in particular. But we quickly restored all our competencies. All that is needed, as experts say, "omoryachili", that is, created engines for marine purposes.

Our aviation engine industry is developing well. Just a few years ago, we created an aircraft engine that had not been produced before for the previous 20 years, or maybe 25, in my opinion. And now we are making an even more powerful engine for wide-body aircraft. Everything works out. I am in contact with the specialists who do this. And here, of course, we have something to be proud of. This is something that can be the subject of our cooperation with our Chinese friends. Because if we are going to make a long-haul wide-body aircraft together in the end, and I would very much like us to do it together, this engine would be very useful there. So in general, it will be in demand for us as well.

Why am I talking about this? Because the market is needed. Our friends are well aware of this. We are ready to provide technological solutions. We need a market. The Chinese market is huge. If we produce one piece, it will be unprofitable, and the developments are good. However, we can use this engine not only for civil aviation, not only for the Il-96, which I fly now, but we can also use this engine for military aviation, for transport aviation. There are a lot of options here, and there's a lot to work on. There are good prospects for cooperation.

The fact that you went to Moscow is good, but I think that you should visit Moscow more often, and your colleagues should visit the relevant research centers in China more often, and then success will be guaranteed. I want to wish you this success.

I think we should probably finish up.

Xiong Sihao: Today, President Putin spoke with our teachers and students. I thank President Putin once again.

To thank the President for his visit, we have prepared a gift. In the 1950s, more than 70 Soviet specialists came here to help build our university. They played a very important role in the development of our university and left many valuable memories. We made an album with photos of Soviet specialists who worked and lived here. We want to present it to President Putin to express our deep gratitude and good wishes for the friendship between China and Russia. I ask the rector, Academician Han Jiecai, on behalf of the university, to present it to President Putin.

Vladimir Putin: Thank you for your applause, thank you for the patience with which you listened to me, and thank you for such an interesting and lively conversation.

I want to wish you all the best in your life, in your career. You are young, ambitious people, just gaining the necessary knowledge. I am sure that all of them will be in demand.

All the best to you!

Thank you very much.

Not very many suggestions or ideas but we learned more about Mr. Putin and his outlook on several areas of life. Be critical of yourself but not to the point where you get down on yourself and develop depression. Starting the day with your gym routine prior to breakfast is sound advice. Although he didn’t use the word, Putin advised people to follow their bliss and if you don’t know what that is then to try and discover what it is, all the while reminding yourself it might not at all be what you think it might be or what your parents, teachers, or peers think it might be. The five-language math PhD is an excellent example since math can be seen as another language and thus fits right in. IMO, Putin would be disappointed if a universal translator device were developed that eliminated the need to learn other languages. And it’s the Tech Expo and Forum on Interregional Cooperation that’s next on the list of Harbin events.

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