Putin’s resignation will not affect Sino-Russian stability
Interview with Polga Kov, Deputy Director of Far East Institute of Russian Academy of Sciences.
After Medvedev took over as president, the development of Sino-Russian relations does not need a transition period.
The transfer of power between Putin (left) and Medvedev will not have much impact on Sino-Russian relations. Agence France-Presse
In March 2008, Putin will bid farewell to the presidency, and the first deputy prime minister Medvedev is likely to become the new president of Russia. What does such a major political transformation mean for China, which has always attached great importance to mutual relations? For this reason, this newspaper interviewed Polga Kov, deputy director of the Far East Institute of Russian Academy of Sciences.
Personnel changes, the overall situation remains the same.
International Herald Tribune: Putin will end his presidency in 2008. Will Russia’s political situation be greatly adjusted? Polga kov: President Putin enjoys a high reputation among the people. The people hope that he will continue to play a role in politics, and at the same time, they also hope that he will maintain the continuity of the policies he has formulated. Besides, Russia still faces many problems in the future. Under this situation, President Putin is the key to maintaining stability in Russian politics. In this Duma general election, the United Russia Party led by Putin has a majority of votes in the Russian State Duma, which can guarantee the passage of relevant bills put forward by the United Russia Party. Therefore, there will be no major changes in Russian politics in the future. International Herald Tribune: Compared with the period when Putin was in power, will there be a big change in Russia’s policy direction in the future?
Polga kov: At present, the main problems in Russia are social stability and economic development, and a series of measures that are conducive to economic development and social stability formulated during Putin’s administration can be continued after Putin leaves office. The result of Russian Duma election and the proposal of presidential candidate show that the continuity of Putin’s policy has been guaranteed. Therefore, there will be no major changes in Russia’s policy direction in the future.
International Herald Tribune: It shouldn’t be a problem for Medvedev to be elected as the next president of Russia.
Polga kov: A 42-year-old presidential candidate, Medvedev, it is rare for such a young man to be president in Russian history. However, due to the public’s trust in President Putin and President Putin’s strong support for Medvedev, Medvedev only needs more than half of the support rate in the general election.
The new president is more rational and pragmatic.
International Herald Tribune: Will Russia’s relations with China be affected when Putin bids farewell to the presidency? If Medvedev succeeds Putin successfully, is this good news for China, which has always attached importance to Sino-Russian relations? Polga Kov: Medvedev presided over and led the activities of "China Year" in because of the division of government work, and had direct exchanges and extensive contacts with Russian leaders. Comparatively speaking, Russian leaders are familiar with him. After he took over as president, the development of Sino-Russian relations does not need a transition period, and can maintain sustained and stable development.
On the one hand, Medvedev is a cautious person, which shows that Sino-Russian relations will not change greatly; At the same time, it may be more rational and practical for Medvedev to handle relations with China as a scholar and legal expert.
International Herald Tribune: So what are the main problems between China and Russia faced by the new Russian government?
Polga Kov: The main problem between China and Russia is the need to further strengthen cooperation on international issues, but the West is worried about it. I think that the new generation of leaders in China are familiar with the West, but they don’t know Russian as well as the older generation. At present, the West has a great influence on China, and Russia is worried about it. Russia hopes that China, as a big country, can look at world affairs with its own independent eyes without being influenced by the West.
Looking forward to the role of Confucius Institute
International Herald Tribune: "Year of Russia" (2006) and "Year of China" (2007) have been closed one after another. In 2008, how to innovate in the way of warming Sino-Russian relations? Polga Kov: At present, there is a new "China fever" in Russia. The Russian Ministry of Education will use Chinese as a second foreign language in middle schools in the near future, but Russia lacks qualified Chinese teachers and good Chinese textbooks suitable for Russians. In Chinese learning, Russians are confused about the "four tones" of Chinese, which they think is a difficult problem to overcome. But I think it is very fashionable and elegant to learn the writing of Chinese characters. Russians are very interested in China’s ancient philosophy, such as Tao Te Ching, I Ching and Sun Tzu’s Art of War. However, these activities did not receive timely support and guidance from the China Municipal Government. It is easy for Russians to misunderstand China culture, and the China government and China people themselves should play a leading role in displaying their own culture. We should play a more important role in the Confucius Institute in Russia. (International Herald Tribune Special Contributor Xu Wenhong)
Editor: Li Xiuwei