MOSCOW, May 15. /TASS/. Moscow and Beijing plan to promote new forms of cooperation, including the Intervision song contest, Russian President Vladimir Putin said in an interview with the Chinese news agency Xinhua, which was published on the Kremlin website.

"We intend to promote new formats of interaction, such as the Intervision International Popular Song Contest. China is the key partner in this project, which aims to spread and popularize national song schools," he noted.

Putin has said that his family members and he have an interest in Chinese culture.

"As for my personal attitude to Chinese culture, I would like to emphasize that I am always eager to discover China's unique and authentic traditions, especially during my visits to the PRC. I know quite a bit about your martial arts, including Wushu, which is very popular in our country," he said.

"I also have respect for Chinese philosophy. My family members are also interested in China, and some of them are learning Chinese," Putin added.

Russia and China are not just neighbors but have close cultural ties, the Russian President pointed out.

"I have said more than once and will say again: Russia and China have been inextricably linked for centuries, both by an extensive common border and by close cultural and people-to-people ties," he said.

"In the distant past, only rare tidings of China reached our country with merchants. Later on, the first embassies appeared, and the Russian Ecclesiastical Mission, which made a truly invaluable contribution to the collection and systematization of knowledge about China, was organized in Beijing. The 19th century saw the first students of the Chinese language in Russia, followed by the first university departments as well as the first attempts at compiling dictionaries," Putin went on to say.

"During the reign of Catherine the Great, Chinese art came into fashion. For example, the interiors of the Chinese Room of the Catherine Palace, the Empress's private chambers, were richly decorated with lacquer panels from China. Unfortunately, the interior was completely destroyed during the Great Patriotic War, but restoration is underway involving specialists from China," the head of state added.

Putin pointed out that Chinese culture and art are of great interest to the Russian public.

"Today, Chinese culture and art are also of great interest to the Russian public. There are about 90,000 students and schoolchildren who study Chinese in our country. Tours of Chinese performing companies and exhibitions featuring Chinese artists are always a great success. Since the quarantine restrictions were removed, the tourist flow has been growing dynamically. Last year, more than 730,000 Russians visited the PRC," he pointed out.

"I know that people in China are also keen to get acquainted with Russian literature, art and traditions. Our eminent theater groups and musicians regularly perform in China, museums organize their exhibitions, and Russian films are run in cinemas. We are most willing to introduce our Chinese friends to the historical, artistic and cultural heritage of multi-ethnic Russia in all its diversity," the Russian leader went on to say.

"To this end, President of China Xi Jinping and I decided to declare 2024 and 2025 cross years of culture between Russia and China, so as to implement this large·scale project in conjunction with the celebration of the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between our countries. We expect the program of activities to be vibrant and abundant. A number of major events have already taken place. For example, in Moscow, for the first time, broad New Year celebrations were held according to the lunar calendar, while in Beijing and Xi’an, Chinese citizens got an opportunity to learn about the tradition of our holiday Maslenitsa at the Farewell to the Russian Winter festival," he specified.

Moscow and Beijing advocate the equality of cultures and the preservation of national identity, Russian President added.

"Russia, just like China, firmly relies on the principles of multiculturalism, advocates the equality of cultures and the preservation of national identity," he pointed out.

"These and other important issues were in the focus of the 2023 St. Petersburg International Cultural Forum. A representative Chinese delegation most actively participated in the Forum. The free discussions held at the Forum are particularly important at this time, as they contribute to building a respectful dialogue between civilizations," Putin added.