News

The Governor of the Penza Oblast met with the Mayor of the People's Government of Baoji City Wang Yong during a working trip to Shaanxi Province, China.

After getting visiting the production site of the Geely automobile plant, Oleg Melnichenko discussed with Wang Yong the prospects for creating a joint production facility in the automotive industry. He noted that the Penza Oblast has experience and competence in the production of components.

The second important topic of conversation was cultural and humanitarian cooperation.

"Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping, in honor of the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries, declared 2024 the "year of cultural contacts" between Russia and China. I think that in the coming years we will be able to establish fruitful cooperation in this area," Oleg Melnichenko said.

The Governor noted that the Penza Oblast is trying to support the growing interest of young people in the history and culture of China, as well as language learning.

"Since 2020, Penza School No. 78 has been teaching Chinese. In the 2024 academic year, 131 students in grades 6 and 262 students in grades 7-8 will study Chinese. This is the first specialized school in the region with an in-depth study of the Chinese language," Oleg Melnichenko said.

"Our delegation includes Gennady Belorybkin, rector of the Institute of Regional Development, which implements the methodology of learning Chinese in secondary educational institutions," he added.

About 400 students from China study at Penza universities. For Russian citizens, this year Penza State University has started offering a degree "English and Chinese Language".

"We propose to open a Chinese Culture Center at PSU and a Russian Culture Center at Baoji National University. It would be interesting to establish a student exchange," Oleg Melnichenko stated.

Wang Yong confirmed his intention to participate in the implementation of joint projects in the field of trade and economy, scientific and technical, as well as cultural and humanitarian relations.

As a sign of friendship, Oleg Melnichenko presented a book about Zolotarevskoye settlement to the Mayor of the People's Government of Baoji. The history of the archaeological site, which was a medieval border fortification, is described in Chinese, English and Russian. In its heyday, Zolotarevskoye settlement was a crossroads of world trade routes, starting from the Great Silk Road and going to Western Europe.

In the presence of Oleg Melnichenko and Wang Yong, a trilateral cooperation agreement was signed between the Penza State University, Baoji Institute of Arts and Sciences and Baoji Railway Institute. The document provides for cooperation in the development of international student exchange, and the opening of international cultural centers.

An action plan for 2024-2026 for the implementation of the agreement between the cities of Penza and Baoji, concluded in the summer of 2024 in Penza, was also signed at the meeting. The document was signed by Denis Sobolev, Chairman of the Penza City Duma, and Gao Hongzheng, Vice Mayor of the Baoji City.