Meeting with students and faculty at Harbin Institute of Technology
During his state visit to China, Vladimir Putin visited Harbin Institute of Technology and met with Chinese and Russian students and faculty at the university.
May 17, 2024
12:40
Harbin
The President of Russia was also shown around the institute's museum and was given information about its history and achievements. The exhibits include archival photographs and documents, as well as new projects for various industries and economic domains.
Harbin Institute of Technology is one of China's leading providers of higher education in technology, with over 58,000 students, and a major R&D and innovation centre.
The school's history is closely linked with the life of the Russian diaspora in Northeast China in the early 20th century and the Chinese Eastern Railway. In 1954, Harbin Institute of Technology became one of the first six schools in China that trained engineers, and which employed professors and scientists from the USSR.
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Transcript of the meeting
Xiong Sihao (retranslated): Your Excellency, President Putin.
Dear guests, members of the faculty, students, ladies and gentlemen, good afternoon.
My name is Xiong Sihao and I am the Secretary of the Party Committee of Harbin Institute of Technology.
It is a great honour for me to welcome President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin on behalf of the faculty and students of this university.
Along with President Putin and the Russian delegation, representatives of China are attending this event. They are Deputy Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu, Chinese Ambassador to Russia Zhang Hanhui, Vice Governor of the Heilongjiang Province Zhang Qixiang, and President of Harbin Institute of Technology Han Jiecai. Also in attendance are representatives, members of the faculty and students of Harbin Institute of Technology. Welcome, everybody.
This year, China and Russia mark 75 years of diplomatic relations. We are also launching the Year of Chinese and Russian Culture. Under the strategic leadership of our presidents, our overarching strategic partnership and cooperation maintain a high growth level in this new era.
The President of Russia chose China for his first foreign visit after re-election. This step demonstrates the immense importance President Putin places on the China-Russia strategic partnership, and reflects the deep and enduring friendship between the peoples of China and Russia.
Harbin Institute of Technology is well-known as a cornerstone of China-Russia cooperation in higher education. For more than 70 years, this university has exemplified the strong friendship between our two nations, fostering close ties with leading Russian universities in education, science, technology and other fields. Together, we are working on building a world-class university, and continuing to write a new chapter of friendship between our nations.
Please join me in giving a warm round of applause to President Putin and inviting him to the stage.
President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Good afternoon, friends.
I am delighted to have this opportunity to visit Harbin Institute of Technology, one of China's leading R&D and innovation centres, and to meet with its students, faculty and professors.
We have just now learned about its rich history and taken a tour of an excellent exhibition about the institute's development. As you know, the institute has been inseparably connected with Russia since its establishment over a century ago. Moreover, it was established by Russian professionals as a Russian-Chinese technical college to train personnel for the Chinese Eastern Railway, a major transport route in the Pacific region.
When the grain is planted correctly and given proper care, it will produce good results. A small college set up to train personnel the country needed at that time has grown into a wonderful university, which is rapidly developing and meets all the modern requirements.
Thanks to the efforts of our compatriots, the college was subsequently transformed into the Harbin Sino-Russian School for Industry. As I have learned at the exhibition just now, two years after that, the length of tuition was extended from two to five years, providing a sufficient time for a quality higher education. The school was later reformed as Harbin Institute of Technology (HIT), which now offers tuition in a broad range of academic and applied subjects.
It is notable that HIT carefully maintains strong traditions of cooperation with our country and has fruitful partnerships with Russia's leading scientific and educational institutions, such as the Russian Academy of Sciences and its Far Eastern branch, Lomonosov Moscow State University, the Moscow Aviation Institute, the Far Eastern Federal University, and the Pacific National University.
The HIT Bauman Institute of Technology opened at Harbin Institute of Technology in cooperation with Bauman Moscow State Technical University several years ago. It is a unique bilateral project that gives its participants the opportunity to receive education under generally accepted tuition programmes and teaching methods while splitting their time equally between Russia and the People's Republic of China.
Another leading Russian school, St Petersburg State University - incidentally, I graduated from it and worked there as an aide to the university's rector - will open an education centre in partnership with HIT soon. Over 1,500 Russian and Chinese students will study mathematics, physics, chemistry and other natural sciences under excellence programmes at this centre. I have no doubt that it will become a leader in Russian-Chinese science and education cooperation in the near future. These intensive academic exchanges are extremely important, allowing us to combine the best traditions and experience of the Russian and Chinese schools of engineering and to train top class professionals, who are in great demand in the economies of both Russia and China.
During our talks with President Xi Jinping yesterday, we pointed out with satisfaction that our cooperation in research and education is of priority significance for developing the entire range of Russian-Chinese relations, comprehensive partnership and strategic interaction. I would like you to understand that these words - comprehensive partnership, strategic cooperation and interaction - hold immense importance. You can see this from the practical steps we take and the results we achieve.
To date, about 50,000 Chinese citizens are receiving a higher education in Russia. At the same time, 16,000 Russian citizens are studying in China, and this is not the limit. Moreover, the number of our students has decreased during the pandemic because of the mandatory sanitary restrictions. However, I have no doubt that the number of Chinese students in Russia and Russian students in China will continue to grow.
China and Russia have 167 bilateral education programmes and there are 28 institutes with Russian participation in China. Overall, there are 12 Russian-Chinese university associations, which include about 600 institutes. The largest among them is the Association of Sino-Russian Technical Universities, which comprises 40 Russian and 36 Chinese universities, including Harbin Institute of Technology.
It is noteworthy that in 2023, Russian and Chinese consular offices collectively issued a total of 34,000 student visas, which is a twofold increase compared to 2022.
I want to emphasise that all bilateral educational programmes are conducted in both the Russian and Chinese languages, which are undoubtedly challenging to learn. I believe that both the Russian and Chinese students present here are well aware of this.
However, I believe you would also agree that proficiency in a second language always broadens horizons, not only for personal communication but also for career advancement and the pursuit of innovative scientific research. Moreover, the ability to speak any foreign language serves as a gateway to a new world and another culture. It is true that without knowledge of a foreign language one can still read and explore various materials, especially in today's digital age with the help of the internet and translation tools, but there is a distinct difference. When you speak a language fluently, you gain an insight into the soul of the people who speak it as their own, and that is an entirely different story.
It is notable that active contacts are not only maintained between our universities but also between our scientists, who are doing research at the forefront of technological progress and in widely different fields, such as medicine, biology, innovative materials, space exploration and microelectronics.
In this context, I would like to mention the successful cross years of scientific, technical, and innovative cooperation held between 2020 and 2022. During this period, over a thousand joint studies were conducted with the participation of leading scientific institutions and departments from both Russia and China.
In this context, it is worth noting that Harbin Institute of Technology serves as a key talent pool for the nuclear industry in the People's Republic of China. Interestingly, its graduates play an active role in the execution of Rosatom projects for building Russian-designed power units at the Tianwan NPP and the Xudapu NPP in China.
The construction of these critical energy facilities is progressing according to schedule. Upon completion, these new nuclear units will significantly bolster China's energy supply, providing affordable and clean energy to both Chinese enterprises and households.
Moreover, in China, with Russian participation, an experimental fast neutron facility has been built, facilitating joint research projects. Concurrently, the construction of a new demonstration fast reactor is underway. With active support from Chinese partners, a unique NICA accelerator complex is being built in Dubna, near Moscow, based on Russia's Joint Institute for Nuclear Research. I am confident that experiments conducted at this collider will lead to groundbreaking discoveries and advance scientific and technological progress, benefiting not only our two nations but also, without exaggeration, humanity as a whole.
The short-term agenda for Russian-Chinese applied scientific cooperation includes the implementation of additional groundbreaking mega-science projects that surpass the capacities of any single country in the world. By pooling our expertise, we can undoubtedly achieve remarkable results together.
Significant progress is being made in cutting-edge fields such as the integration of artificial intelligence across various economic sectors, big data processing, and quantum computing. Collaboratively, Russia and China are engaged in initiatives focused on nature conservation, safeguarding biodiversity, and combatting climate change.
The scientific communities of both countries are currently collaborating on technical solutions aimed at significantly reducing carbon emissions. A programme to establish the so-called carbon measurement supersites is underway, with projects already in progress in Russia. Technological solutions for minimising hydrocarbon emissions are being actively tested. Additionally, joint efforts are planned for certifying green electricity, hydrogen, and wind power.
Naturally, Russian and Chinese students and educators are not only engaged in educational and scientific exchanges but also actively participate in bilateral cultural, social, creative, and volunteer initiatives. Each of you, dear friends, is making a tangible contribution to the advancement of friendly and neighbourly relations between Russia and China.
Allow me to extend my sincere wishes for your success, new discoveries, and accomplishments. May you enjoy a fulfilling and rewarding career, personal achievements, and contribute to the betterment of your homeland, China, and its people, as well as to the advancement of Russian-Chinese relations and the friendship between our two nations.
Thank you for your attention.
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