A member of China's top
advisory body yesterday called for the publication of a national
Russian-language newspaper to help Russian-speaking people have a better
understanding of China.
"With the increasing exchange between China and Russian-speaking countries,
it's time we launch an influential Russian-language newspaper in the country,"
said Li Jingjie at a panel discussion during the annual session of the top
advisory body.
Li cited "China: Economy and Partner", a Russian-language newspaper in the
northeastern Heilongjiang Province, which borders Russia.
"It is a good publication, but has a limited circulation," said Li, a
research follow with the Institute of Russian, East European and Central Asian
Studies under the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.
Nearly 300 million people in the world speak Russian and most of them living
in the countries near China.
"The people of these countries are eager to learn about China, but there are
not enough China-related publications for them," said Li.
Meanwhile, China has seen an increasing number of Russian-speaking visitors
in recent years. In 2005, Li said, the number of the visitors from Russia alone
reached 2.2 million.
"Now, we can see people speaking Russian not only in China's northern and
western border areas, but also in big cities and scenic spots in inland
provinces.
"However, they don't have access to a Russian-language newspaper with
considerable clout in their language," said Li.
