Vladimir Putin's opening address:

Distinguished Mr Xi,

Ladies and gentlemen,

Good afternoon.

The Year of the Chinese Language in Russia is a new, promising project that reflects the special, unique character of relations between Russia and China today. Other, similarly ambitious joint projects are becoming more and more common-suffice it to mention the recent Year of China in Russia and Year of Russia in China, as well as the Year of the Russian Language in China. Perhaps most important of all, these ambitious events have involved millions of our countries' citizens.

These events also serve to strengthen genuine neighbourly relations and mutual respect, which are the foundations of the strategic partnership between our nations.

Cooperation between Russia and China truly has become lasting and dynamic. This cooperation is profoundly substantive and based on constructive ideas, and reflects our nations' shared long-term strategic interests. Our political dialogue and economic ties are also developing.

But these successes would hardly be possible without our vital cultural ties. It is not by chance that we place such great emphasis on cultural, scientific, educational and athletic exchanges. Moreover, our relations would never have attained their present level without direct cooperation between Russian and Chinese regions and cities.

The better we learn each other's history, traditions, literature and art, the better we understand each other. This is what creates trust, without which it would be impossible to move forward and tackle our common challenges.

It is well known that language is the core of any culture, of any people. When one wants to win the respect of a person from another nation, one should learn his native language as a sign of respect.

The number of Chinese learning Russian and Russians studying Chinese is growing every year. These languages are being studied not only in schools and universities but also by accomplished adults.

These people want to uncover for themselves the wealth of a neighbouring civilisation, and also see what a command of the Russian or Chinese language can do for their careers.

The leadership of our countries support and will continue to support this sentiment.

I was very touched by the story of one of our guests here today, the young lady sitting in the front row, opposite to me. Russian language classes and Russian song competitions took so much of her time that she was forced to quit her job, which I understand she valued. But she found the contests even more important. True, President Hu Jintao personally helped her to find a job that was no worse than her previous one, but this appreciation for the Russian language, shared by an ordinary young person and the head of state of a country, cannot but instill in us Russians a reciprocal enthusiasm for the Chinese language and a sense of gratitude and respect.

Modern China, as we Russians see it, combines ancient wisdom and powerful economic success. Thousand-year-old traditions and cutting-edge innovation embody the harmony of the past and present, of age-old wisdom and vision. Such a combination cannot but win Russian citizens' heartfelt respect and interest.

The Chinese language fully deserves its reputation as a linguistic miracle that reflects the richness of its land. It is difficult to find such a variety of dialects and phonetic elements, or such beautiful and refined calligraphy, anywhere else.

However, for all its profound uniqueness, the Chinese and Russian language and literary traditions have much in common.

From Pu Songling's Strange Stories and Nikolai Gogol's tales to Ivan Bunin's lyrical poetry and the subtle verses by the great Su Shi-every genre offers literary and linguistic parallels.

"The accomplished scholar is not a utensil," said the great Confucius. Notice how this wisdom echoes Dostoyevsky's no less famous phrase about how beauty will save the world.

Classical literature has always played a special role in strengthening the moral foundations of Russian and Chinese society alike.

As we read Pushkin, Tolstoy and Turgenev, we Russians learn to love our homeland and learn the cherished stories of our ancestors. Likewise, the Chinese find moral inspiration in the famous novels Dream of the Red Chamber, Romance of the Three Kingdoms, and Journey to the West.

The upcoming Year of the Chinese Language will improve Russians' acquaintance with these and other treasures of world culture.

I would like to thank all those involved in the preparations for this meaningful project, and wish all its participants a fruitful discussion, interesting new connections and, of course, success in all their endeavors.

Thank you.