During President Xi Jinping’s state visit to Russia and his attendance at the celebration marking the 80th anniversary of the Victory in the Soviet Union's Great Patriotic War, Qiu Yong, Secretary of the CPC Tsinghua University Committee, visited Russia. The visit aimed to leverage the leading role of higher education, and promote Tsinghua University's deeper cooperation with Russia in the fields of education, science and technology, and talent cultivation, and contribute Tsinghua’s strength to advancing the China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for a new era.

Qiu Yong exchanges an agreement with Anatoly Torkunov and Kirill Dmitriev.

In the presence of Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin, Qiu Yong exchanged a cooperation agreement with Anatoly Torkunov, Rector of Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO University), and Kirill Dmitriev, CEO of the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), at the Kremlin in Moscow on May 8.

The three parties will establish joint degree programs, strengthen collaborative research, enhance faculty and student exchanges, and carry out talent exchange and training initiatives to accelerate the cultivation of high-level professionals aligned with the needs of the China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for a new era. In response to the shared development priorities of both countries in science and technology, energy, agriculture, infrastructure, and the digital economy, the collaboration will also promote coordinated development across academia, industry, and research.

Qiu Yong visits Mendeleev University of Chemical Technology.

On May 9, Qiu Yong visited Mendeleev University of Chemical Technology, where he held discussions with the university’s Rector, Evgeny Vladimirovich Rumyantsev, and met with representatives of Chinese students studying there. Earlier, the two universities had signed a memorandum of understanding on cooperation.

In his remarks, Qiu Yong emphasized that Tsinghua University attaches great importance to international exchanges and cooperation and remains committed to advancing high-level educational openness. He expressed hope that the pragmatic collaboration between the two universities would generate more positive "chemical reactions," injecting new momentum into the steady and long-term development of China-Russia relations.

Rumyantsev introduced relevant programs of Mendeleev University of Chemical Technology. He hopes to spark more collaborative breakthroughs with Tsinghua in areas such as joint talent cultivation and scientific research.

Qiu Yong and Herman Gref sign a Memorandum of Understanding.

That afternoon, Qiu Yong met with Herman Gref, CEO and Chairman of the Executive Board of Sber. The two sides discussed how to better leverage the dual engines of innovation from universities and enterprises, deepen and expand cooperation in areas such as artificial intelligence and digital finance, and promote integrated innovation across academia, industry, and research in both countries. Following the meeting, Qiu Yong and Herman Gref signed a Memorandum of Understanding on behalf of their respective institutions.

Qiu Yong exchanges a cooperation agreement with Nikita Anisimov.

On May 10, Qiu Yong visited the National Research University Higher School of Economics (HSE University), where he exchanged a cooperation agreement with the university’s Rector, Nikita Anisimov. Qiu Yong stated that China and Russia are embracing new historical opportunities for cooperation across various fields, and universities should play an increasingly important role in this process. He expressed Tsinghua University's willingness to work with HSE University and other relevant Russian institutions to further expand channels of collaboration and jointly promote fruitful higher education cooperation within multilateral platforms such as BRICS.

Anisimov congratulated Tsinghua on its remarkable achievements and expressed hope that more outstanding students and scholars from HSE University would have opportunities to study and engage in exchanges in China.

During the visit, Qiu Yong also met with representatives of Tsinghua University alumni in Russia.

Relevant faculty and department heads from Tsinghua University participated in the respective activities.

Editors: Li Han, JP