From classrooms to connections, China-Russia educational ties deepen

As China and Russia continue to deepen cooperation across multiple fields, education has increasingly become one of the most dynamic areas of exchange, especially among the younger generations.

This year marks the launch of the China-Russia Years of Education, a new framework designed to further strengthen cooperation in student exchange, language education, joint training and academic collaboration. Building on years of interaction, it adds new momentum to an already growing network of educational ties.

Student exchanges between the two countries have continued to expand steadily. More than 60,000 Chinese students are currently studying in Russia, while over 20,000 Russian students are studying in China. Behind these numbers is a generation of young people gaining firsthand experience of each other’s societies through daily study and life abroad.

For many of them, the experience goes beyond classrooms and textbooks. It is also about learning a language in real settings, adapting to a different culture, and forming connections that often last beyond their years of study.

Language education remains one of the most visible pillars of this exchange.

In Russia, interest in Chinese language learning has grown steadily in recent years. More than 140 universities and over 220 primary and secondary schools now offer Chinese courses. The country also hosts 19 Confucius Institutes and five Confucius schools In 2019, Chinese was officially included in Russia’s national unified state exam system as a foreign language subject, helping bring Chinese language learning into a more standardized national framework.

Today, around 110,000 people in Russia are learning Chinese, with initiatives such as the "Chinese Bridge" language competition continuing to attract young participants.

The exchange has also developed in the other direction. In China, Russian language education has remained stable, with more than 180 universities offering Russian language majors and around 120,000 students studying Russian across universities and schools.

As language learning grows on both sides, it is also helping lay a foundation for broader cooperation.

At the university level, collaboration between institutions has become more structured. Chinese and Russian universities have established 15 university alliances involving more than 800 institutions, covering areas such as joint research, faculty exchange and talent training.

One example is Shenzhen MSU-BIT University, a joint project between China and Russia that has developed over the past decade into an important platform for higher education cooperation and cross-cultural training.

Beyond traditional classrooms, cooperation is also extending into study tours and vocational education, particularly in border regions where exchanges are more frequent and direct.

In cities such as Manzhouli, study tour programs have been further improved, allowing Russian students to visit Chinese schools and experience daily life and local culture. Universities and vocational institutes in border areas are also working more closely with counterparts across the frontier, including institutions such as Hulunbuir University and Transbaikal State University.

From student mobility to joint institutions, and from language learning to vocational cooperation, educational ties between China and Russia continue to develop in terms of both scope and depth

More importantly, these exchanges are not limited to institutional cooperation. They are gradually shaping how young people on both sides understand each other – through everyday contact, shared learning experiences, and long-term academic engagement.