CASS President Gao Xiang meets with Deputy Chairman of the Russian State Duma Alexander Babakov. Photo: Zhu Gaolei/CSSN

On March 26, Gao Xiang, president of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS), met with a delegation led by Alexander Babakov, deputy chairman of the Russian State Duma, in Beijing.

Upon warmly welcoming Babakov’s delegation, Gao noted that in the current global landscape marked by profound changes and manifold challenges facing humanity, China and Russia have, under the fundamental guidance of important consensuses reached by state leaders of the two nations, adhered to permanent good neighborliness and deepened comprehensive strategic cooperation, making positive contributions toward building a new type of international relations and promoting global multipolarity and the democratization of international relations.

In addition, Gao emphasized that academic exchanges between China and Russia constitute an important component of bilateral people-to-people cooperation. Attaching high importance to studies of Russia, CASS has been maintaining extensive and close connections with Russian academia over the long term.

He further expressed the hope that scholars and experts from both countries, along with all sectors of society, would continue to uphold their traditional friendship and further deepen mutual understanding to play a greater role in advancing the sustained, healthy, and steady development of China-Russia ties.

Babakov remarked that despite different specific realities, Russia and China have both pursued development paths suited to the interest of their respective peoples. He noted that Chinese modernization has not only elevated living standards and enhanced well-being but has also presented a novel model for global development and prosperity. Additionally, he conveyed the Russian State Duma’s willingness to strengthen friendly exchanges with CASS and boost high-quality development of bilateral academic exchanges.

Following the meeting, the delegation conducted discussions and exchanges with experts and scholars from the Institute of Russian, Eastern European, and Central Asian Studies at CASS.