One aspect of Russia’s long and complex historical legacy is the debate whether Russia should be part of the East or West. Events in recent years have led to the deterioration of relations between Russia and Western nations, driving the country to a sustained and pragmatic pivot to the East, particularly with China and its economic largesse. Today’s Sino-Russian ties are booming, despite a relationship fraught with tension and complications throughout the Sino-Soviet era. 

In September alone, the PRC military will join Russia’s Vostok 2018 drills, the country’s largest military display since the Soviet era in 1981 while Chinese President Xi Jinping will meet Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin at the Far Eastern Economic Forum. In April, Wang Yi, China’s foreign minister, proclaimed relations between the two nations as at their “best level in history.” Much of the Russia-China discourse centered on deepening their strategic partnership, through “energy agreements, joint military exercises and economic development, China’s One Belt One Road Initiative”; and a narrative that focuses on Xi and Putin’s shared worldview and aspirations for a new world order.

Indeed, intensified Chinese-Russian economic and security cooperation is palpable and unmistakable. An often overlooked but significant dynamic is the successful fostering of soft relations between the two countries. Today’s strengthened China and a reinvigorated Russia seek a greater role in the global arena and in parallel, citizens of both nations have sought modernity, openness and greater engagement with the world. In recent years, both the Chinese and Russian states have implemented cooperative initiatives supporting cultural and societal exchanges, bolstering collaboration beyond the state level. 

The engagement initiatives curated by both states have manifested primarily in the areas of tourism, education and labor exchange. Russia’s recent friendship drive with China oversaw the “China Friendly Project”, a tourism initiative that began in 2014, to accommodate Chinese tourists. The project, accommodating visitors through various visa programs and the training of Chinese-speaking guides and services workers, contributes to its tourism boost. Russia now welcomes more visitors from China than any other country. In 2016, tourists from the PRC spent an estimated $2 billion in Russia on tourism-related activities. The Russian Federation offers an array of experiences for a spectrum of Chinese travelers. Tourists lured by culture, history and luxury may look to Moscow and St. Petersburg, while travelers seeking alternative experiences discover Russia’s natural scenic spots or opt for a journey on the Trans-Siberian railway. Russia also serves as an accessible and affordable gateway to European culture, for those in close proximity to cities in Russia’s Far East. Chinese tourism, and the industry in Russia in general, is viewed as holding great potential and predicted to grow even further, particularly after its success as a FIFA World Cup host nation this past summer.                                                   

China’s response has been reciprocal through its introduction of incentives for Russian visitors and students. China has become a top tourism destination for Russians, drawn in by these incentives, along with factors of culture, milder weather in certain locales and affordability and accessibility.  

There has been an energetic push by the PRC to recruit Russian youth, students and professionals to discover China; and in Russia, the interest in and demand for Mandarin-language skills is rapidly increasing, with Russia set to include a Mandarin-language elective in Russia’s national university entrance examination. Russian students in China are attracted by the support offered at Chinese institutions for free or low-cost training and education. The Harbin Institute of Technology (HIT), a top science and engineering school, provides scholarship support for Russian students, and Chinese institutions ranging from first-tier cities to third-tier cities and even non-tiered cities, stretching across all provinces of China, boast accessibility and affordability for Russians. Both states have also enhanced cooperation in academia and research, resulting in programs such as the HKUST-Skolkovo EMBA designed specifically for Eurasia and Belt and Road Initiative, the Shenzhen MSU-BIT University and advocacy for Chinese students at institutions like Vladivostok’s FEFU, a top Russian university in the Far East that boasts its largest segment of international students comes from China. A younger generation of Russians are also choosing to work and live in China, citing the conducive conditions of Chinese state and educational and financial institutions, mainly in the sectors of hospitality, education, services and IT.

China and Russia will continue to intersect historically, geographically and culturally. Elizabeth McGuire, an observer of historical Sino-Soviet relations, notes that for the full story on Russia and China, one needs to consider real human relationships and exchanges; she notes that Russia and China will remain inextricably bound together. “Russia will continue to be some part of China’s identity, that it could have never been without the human emotional engagement first, on an individual level”, throughout history, she said.

The interactions we observe today are interesting and compelling – we see Heihe and Blagoveshchensk exchanging business and conversation on opposite banks of the Amur River; the influence and correspondence of Chinese culture in Vladivostok and Khabarovsk; youth from the Siberian regions relocating to Beijing and Hong Kong; teachers, musicians, models and entrepreneurs from Ufa, Barnaul, Tyumen and St. Petersburg working in Shandong, Sanya, Shanghai and Shenzhen. Perhaps these contemporary cultural interactions have been guided and helped along by top-down policies motivated by political and economic factors – nevertheless, these are opportunities that allow for greater understanding and genuine exchange between the people, a welcome development in today’s world.

Yvonne Y. Lau studies linkages between contemporary China and Russia, and is a co-chair of the Young Professionals Committee at the Canadian Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong. 

The author contributed this article to China Watch exclusively. The views expressed do not necessarily reflect those of China Watch. All rights reserved. Copying or sharing of any content for other than personal use is prohibited without prior written permission.