Cooperation in the field of science and education between two countries

Cooperation in the field of science and education between two countries was based on the PRC’s request to the Soviet Union to provide assistance in this area.  The first visit of scientists from the PRC to the USSR was in 1949. One of the forms of collaboration were the Institute of advisers, scientists from different regions of the country were sent to academic institutions of China. Joint research in border regions was of great importance for bilateral relations. For example, in 1956 the joint Amur expedition of the Council for the study of productive forces of the USSR Academy of Sciences and Heilongjiang complex expedition of the PRC Academy of Sciences began its work. Since 1958, the Soviet-Chinese paleontological expedition was working on the territory of Inner Mongolia. In 1956-1959 the participants of the Xinjiang complex expedition conducted linguistic and ethnographic research.

In the 1950s in the regions of the USSR there was a mass interest in the Chinese language, courses were opened in institutes, schools, enterprises and factories. For example, the Irkutsk newspaper “Soviet youth” published lessons “Learn the language of friends”. The Oriental faculty of the Far Eastern State University was restored only in 1962. One of the centers of the Chinese language study in the East of Russia was Chita.

One of the most important components of the Soviet-Chinese cooperation was the training of Chinese in Soviet educational institutions, military units and enterprises. Close ties were established at the level of universities, research institutes. For example, Irkutsk Mining and Metallurgical Institute cooperated with Mining Institute in Beijing, and Irkutsk Pedagogical Institute established close ties with Shenyang Pedagogical Institute. Relations with China were supported by Irkutsk State University and Irkutsk branch of the USSR Academy of Sciences. Irkutsk pioneer maintained relationships with pioneering organizations in Beijing. 

Interrupted communication in the humanitarian sphere in the 1960s and 1970s was restored in the 1980s. Scientific and technical cooperation between the Academy of Sciences of Heilongjiang province and the far Eastern region of the Russian Academy of Sciences was expressed in the exchange of experts, establishment of joint ventures. In particular, the Russian-Chinese laboratory for nuclear analysis was established. Direct links were established between the institutes of the Siberian branch of the USSR Academy of Sciences and similar institutions of China. In early 1990s the document on cooperation was signed by the Institute of History, Archeology and Ethnography of the Peoples of the Far East of RAS and Heilongjiang Academy of Social Sciences. Almost all regional universities established direct links with universities in China. Already in 1984, internships of students and teachers of the Far Eastern State University in Harbin began. These are just a few examples of scientific and educational cooperation. Both in the field of political, administrative, scientific, education and cultural spheres at the regional level have always been an important component of the overall system of bilateral relations.

In some periods of history, the regional aspect became dominant, and relations between border areas were the driving force for the development of relations between two countries and peoples.

Despite the undoubted achievements in the development of Soviet-Chinese relations, the issues of political normalization by the mid-1980s remained not fully resolved. Full normalization of relations between the USSR and the PRC took place after the visit of Mikhail Gorbachev to Beijing in 1989. Mr. Qian Chicane, statesman and diplomat of China, summarizes the development of Soviet-Chinese relations: “Having the whole story, we realize that using the time historical chance, we carried out normalization of Sino-Soviet relations. This is of great importance. Subsequently, there were enormous changes in the world situation. There were dramatic changes in Eastern Europe. The Soviet Union collapsed. As a result, the world has entered an extraordinary period of turmoil and change. The framework of normalization of Sino-Soviet relations established at the time was the basis for the rapid establishment of Sino-Russian good-neighbor relations and friendship, which stand above the ideology, and that has led to the further development of constructive relations of partnership, up to the relations of strategic partnership and cooperation turned to the XXI century, on the basis of equality and mutual trust. If then we missed a favorable opportunity, the development of inter-state relations between two countries would go, perhaps, in a completely different direction.” 

We can agree with these assessments. Normalization of bilateral relations, characterized by complexity and instability for almost the entire twentieth century, has stood the test of time.