Congratulations to You, My China!

Three days of great importance in the golden October of 2009 will be marked in China. They belong to different historical categories， but converge because of their political significance.

On October 1， the Chinese people will hold a grand National Day celebration——the 60th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China. It is followed by another two important days. What has made we Russians proud is that on October 2， 1949 our country was the first to declare to the whole world that the SovietUnion recognized the People’s Republic of China and established diplomatic relations with it.

The third major event was closely linked with these commemorative days——the inception of the Sino-Soviet Friendship Association， the first friendship association with foreign countries in China， whose 60th anniversary will be marked on October 5 this year. Just as what was described in the Chinese press then that it was sincere reciprocity of the Chinese people for the assistance and support our country had rendered them in their struggle to win victory in revolution and powerful proof of the friendly sentiments of the Soviet people towards the young People’s Republic.

The Soviet people hailed the victory of the Chinese revolution and rejoiced on hearing the news of the founding of the People’s Republic of China.

I was a middle school student in October 1949， a time of historic significance. What was happening in China was quickly known far and wide through publications and over the radio. Rallies were held at enterprises， universities and middle and primary schools to celebrate the birth of the People’s Republic of China， a new country on the world map.

I still remember that the famous Soviet poet A. A. Surkov was invited to attend the rally held at our school， the Moscow No. 125 Middle School in the city centre. With excitement， all the teachers and students listened to him talking about what the Chinese people had gone through to win victory. He ended his speech with the poem he had written on his impressions of the historical event taking place on October 1， 1949:

Surmounting innumerable difficulties and obstacles，

Crossing the sea of blood and tears，

The heroic people have won the rebirth of their country

which has a history of 5，000 years.

Freed from the nightmare of a century， courageously they march forward.

To build a better tomorrow together with such people，

What an honour it is!

I have kept this poem firmly in mind up to now from my faraway student years. I remember that Victory of the Chinese People and The Liberated China， films by C. A. Gerasimov as well as the popular song Moscow—Beijing by V. Muradeli broadcast over the radio almost every day left such deep impressions on me that I cherished a wish then that I would attend a college for Chinese studies after graduating from the middle school.

My wish came true! I became a student of Moscow State Institute of International Relations. My first contact with China was during my university years. There were Chinese students studying together with me at the institute. Their diligence and strong desire to learn compelled our admiration. I was fortunate to work with the Chinese delegates taking part in the Sixth World Festival of Youth and Students and got a general idea of the Chinese national art. They won the gold prize at the festival.

In 1958， together with a small group of students of my grade， I was sent to Beijing to do practice before graduation. There I witnessed the great enthusiasm demonstrated by all the Chinese people for the recovery and development of China’s national economy， and the selfless assistance given by the Soviet people to the Chinese people.

After graduation in March 1960， I was invited to work in the Soviet-Chinese Friendship Association (SCFA). It was set up on October 29， 1957， the first association for friendship with foreign countries in the Soviet Union.

So I have every reason to say that over the past half a century my life and all my work have been related to China.

The work of the friendship association has given me the opportunity to get to know and meet those senior comrades who have taken part in the heroic struggle the Chinese people waged to win victory in revolution， the Soviet experts who had participated in the construction of new China and renowned public figures in the fields of science and culture who have voluntarily become SCFA activists. I will never forget my first meeting with well-known Chinese writer， painter and translator Gao Mang in Moscow， who has become a good friend of mine. And also Prof. Ge Baoquan and Prof. Cao Jinghua who were true representatives of the great Chinese culture and envoys of friendship. I was very fortunate to get to know the world-famous Peking Opera singer Mei Lanfang and many representatives of Chinese intellectuals as well as ordinary workers who visited the Soviet Union at the invitation of our Association.

I witnessed the “golden time” of Soviet-Chinese relations in the 1950s and also went through the difficult and sometimes tragic period of our bilateral relations in the 1960s and 1970s， during which I was secretary general of the SCFA. However， the association had never for a day stopped activities and remained committed to maintaining the friendly feelings and respect of people of all walks of life in the Soviet Union for the Chinese people who have made tremendous contributions to world civilization.

Those difficult times have already become history. There is an old saying in China， “Past experience， if not forgotten， is a guide for the future.” Therefore， as a person whose whole life is closely connected with China， I am very satisfied with the smooth development of the present high-level strategic partnership of cooperation based on equality and trust between Russia and China. The Treaty of Good Neighborliness and Friendly Cooperation between the Russian Federation and the People’ Republic of China signed in Moscow on July 16， 2001 laid a solid foundation and provided a reliable legal guarantee for bilateral relations.

The state visit to the Russian Federation by President Hu Jintao of the People’s Republic of China from June 16 to 18 this year as well as high-level meetings and the Joint Statement once again gave powerful proof to this point. The Joint Statement clarifies the direction for further cooperation between the two countries and coordination between them on the international stage. In the meantime， it also stresses the necessity to further consolidate and expand the social basis for the Russia-China strategic partnership of cooperation， which has truly become people-to-people relations inreal sense.

I would like to emphasize with great satisfaction that cooperation between our Russia- China Friendship Association and the China-Russia Friendship Association in the past more than half a century has added many brilliant chapters to the annals of smooth growth of Russia-China relations. Our two associations organized innumerable activities over the years to enable the Russian people better understand China and the Chinese people better understand Russia. In the last dozens of years， our cooperation has seen greater development. With the initiation and joint efforts of our two associations， activities organized to mark days important in the history of our two countries and their relations have become mass activities. The large-scale events in commemoration of the bicentennial of the birth of Alexander Pushkin the CPAFFC and the CRFA initiated and actively participated have achieved great success and produced extensive impact. Through these activities， the whole world will know that China is a country where the works of the Russian poet are better read and understood than any other country.

Our two friendship organizations have worked actively to promote state-to-state and local cooperation in economy and trade， science and technology， and culture between Russia and China. Every year the RCFA holds activities to celebrate the founding of the PRC and important dates in bilateral relations， to commemorate leaders of the Chinese revolution and founders of New China——Mao Zedong， Liu Shaoqi， Zhou Enlai， Zhu De， Chen Yi， Li Fuchun， Cai Chang， Chen Yun， Hu Yaobang and other renowned personages of the Communist Party of China， as well as ancient Chinese poets including Li Bai， Du Fu， Bai Juyi and Li Qingzhao and modern and contemporary Chinese critics of Russian literature such as Lu Xun， Ba Jin， Ge Baoquan， Cao Jinghua and Gao Mang.

In recent years， we paid special attention to exchanges between children and youth. Children’s art delegations from Wenzhou and Dalian not only participated in the VI Moscow International Festival—Contest of Children’s and Youth Creative Art “Open Europe”， but also won prizes， while Russian children’s art troupe successfully took part in the Tianjin International Children’s Culture and Art Festival. We proposed to hold in Russia and China all kinds of art festivals and Chinese and Russian knowledge and language contests and vigorously encouraged contacts between university students. We never forget those senior comrades who have been engaged in the cause of friendship untiringly for years. Though advanced in age， they still take an active part in the activities of our association.

This year， our two associations are planning a series of activities to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the founding of the PRC and the establishment of diplomatic relations between Russia and China. Our association will hold grand meetings in Moscow and 18 local branches and publish books introducing people-to-people diplomacy and its role in Russia-China relations. We will sponsor an international academic meeting “China， Chinese Civilization and the World” on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the founding of the PRC and the establishment of diplomatic relations between Russia and China. We will host a series of activities jointly with other organizations， at which Russian children will be invited to give dance and music performances with China as the theme.

A RCFA delegation and a RCFA activists delegation will attend celebrations held by the Chinese side at the invitation of the CPAFFC and the CRFA.

Here I would like to emphasize especially that the success we have achieved in our work should be attributed， to a great extent， to the help， support and full cooperation from our long-term reliable Chinese partners—the CPAFFC and the CRFA. Chen Haosu， well-known social activist， our old friend， recipient of Friendship Medal of Russia and honorary doctorate of the Institute of Far Eastern Studies under the Russian Academy of Sciences， has been leading these two associations for years. We know that over these years President Chen Haosu has provided highly effective leadership to the CPAFFC which occupies a leading place in China’s nongovernmental diplomacy， and has also assumed the CRFA presidency. Advocated by him， a variety of friendship activities related to Russia and Sino-Russian relations have been held in China. He enthusiastically supports exchanges between youth and children and between older generation friendly personages of the two countries. He is not only a successful diplomat and statesman， but also a poet who dedicates his poems to his dear motherland and to the great friendship between China and Russia and their peoples.

We are very grateful to our Chinese partners who treated our country and people with goodwill when new Russia was experiencing difficulties at the time of transition. When our association was confronted with new and complicated conditions， they not only supported us， but also more actively engaged in cooperation with us. They said time and again that our difficulties were temporary and that my country—Russia—was， is now and will also be a great power and will together with China make tremendous contribution to the development of world civilization and the consolidation of world peace.

China is greeting the advent of its important historical day when it enjoys political stability， increased economic strength， tremendous achievements in social development and rising international status and influence.

We Russians are China’s close neighbours and old friends. We have been following with satisfaction the extraordinary achievements China has scored in the past 30 year since it adopted the policy of reform and opening up. These achievements have enabled the country to leap to the third place in the world in its GDP ranking， maintain world’s No. 3 trade power for several consecutive years and No. 1 in foreign exchange reserve. All these achievements have become the most important factors affecting today’s world politics and international relations.

It is not without reason that the international community calls China “world factory”. Today the Chinese leaders have put forward new goal: to make another breakthrough which is to excel not in quantity but in quality; to turn the “world factory into the “world laboratory”; and turn China into an innovation power by vigorously developing “knowledge economy”. During my recent visits to China， I often saw young people carrying laptops. These young people are full of vitality and confidence in their motherland’ bright future. This young generation of China shoulders the historical mission of building up their motherland and socialism with Chinese characteristics to realize the long cherished desire of generations of the Chinese people for both material and cultural prosperity.

I extend congratulations to you， my China， to the Chinese people and to all my friends and colleagues! I have full confidence in the success of your reform and your victorious future!

I believe that only when Russia-China relations take root in the minds and lives of our two peoples， only when our two peoples understand that Russia needs a strong China and China needs a strong Russia and that common development can successfully solve future problems among nations and peoples， can our two countries become “good friends， neighbours and partners” and can “lasting friendship and never viewing each other with hostility” be achieved. August 19， 2009

(Translated from the Chinese text)

The author is the first vice president of the RCFA.