Language year -- A window to showcase Chinese culture

MOSCOW, March 23 (Xinhua) -- After the successful holding of the "Russian Language Year" in China last year, the "Chinese Language Year" is to be unveiled here on Tuesday as an effort to promote Chinese culture in Russia and strengthen all-round cooperation between the countries.

It is also aimed at enhancing mutual understanding and traditional friendship between the Chinese and the Russian peoples.

Without cultural exchanges, long-term friendship and common development would simply be empty talk.

Without language serving as a foundation for mutual understanding and bridge for communication, cultural exchanges would be limited.

That is precisely why the Chinese and Russian governments decided to hold the "Russian Language Year" in China in 2009 and the "Chinese Language Year" in Russia this year after the success of reciprocal national theme years in 2006 and 2007.

Such events are conducive to lifting the Sino-Russian strategic partnership of cooperation to a higher stage.

The reciprocal national theme years have injected strong impetus into the expansion of bilateral interaction and cooperation. The reciprocal language years will lay down a firm basis for China and Russia to develop all-round mutually beneficial cooperation.

More than 2,000 events were staged during the "Russian Language Year" in China, while a series of activities are expected to showcase Chinese language and culture in Russia this year, ranging from seminars, language skill contests, art festivals to themed Chinese cultural weeks.