(ECNS) -- The launch event for the Survey Report on China-Russia Youth Friendship and Cultural Exchange was held at Renmin University of China on Friday. The survey found that 87.5% of Russian youth and 85.5% of Chinese youth view China-Russia relations as friendly.
According to the report, young people in China and Russia hold positive views of bilateral relations, have generally favorable perceptions of each other's national image and are broadly optimistic about future cooperation. Friendship and cooperation have become the prevailing understanding of China-Russia relations among youth in the two countries.
The findings show that 78.0% of Russian youth and 76.4% of Chinese youth have a positive impression of the other country. The shares who said they were optimistic about the prospects for China-Russia cooperation stood at 77.7% and 73.7%, respectively. These results suggest a high degree of convergence in how young people in the two countries assess each other and the outlook for bilateral cooperation, underscoring a stable and positive youth public-opinion foundation for China-Russia friendship.
Young people in both countries also showed strong interest in each other's culture. Russian youth expressed particular interest in Chinese traditions and festivals, cuisine and architecture, while Chinese youth paid close attention to Russian architecture, literature and music. On language learning, 75.5% of Chinese youth and 52.8% of Russian youth said they were willing to learn or improve their proficiency in the other country's language. The report said cultural interest and language learning are becoming important entry points for deepening mutual understanding among young people in the two countries.
Interest in future travel was also high. The survey found that about 89% of Russian youth said they would like to visit China in the future, while about 86% of Chinese youth said they would like to visit Russia.
At the same time, the report found that direct exchanges between young people in the two countries still have room to grow. Some 72.9% of Russian youth and 53.8% of Chinese youth said they did not have friends, acquaintances or classmates from the other country. The report recommended further expanding student exchange programs, joint cultural activities and youth visits, while improving travel and visa facilitation arrangements, so that more young people can deepen understanding and build friendships through face-to-face exchanges.
Digital platforms are becoming an important window through which Chinese and Russian youth learn about each other. The survey found that 87.6% of Russian youth and 60.6% of Chinese youth believe digital platforms have a major or far-reaching impact on national image. The report recommended increasing the supply of high-quality content for young audiences and promoting digital content in such areas as culture, tourism, education, science and technology, in order to tell the story of China-Russia friendship in ways that better resonate with young people.
Zhou Yong, director of the Global Opinion Research Center at Renmin University of China and dean of the university's School of Journalism and Communication, said: "Young people are an important force in sustaining China-Russia friendship from generation to generation. Promoting mutual understanding and closer ties among young people, and strengthening educational and cultural exchanges, are of great significance for consolidating the social and public-opinion foundation of relations between the two countries." Zhou added that, amid a youth development environment shaped by the interplay of globalization, digitalization and platform-based communication, China-Russia youth exchanges should place emphasis not only on educational cooperation, student visits and cultural activities, but also on content supply and narrative expression in the digital space, so that more young people can deepen understanding through exchanges, build friendships through interaction and look to the future through cooperation.
The survey was jointly conducted by the Chinese side of the Council of Education under the China-Russia Friendship Committee for Peace and Development and the Russian side of the Council of Education under the China-Russia Friendship Committee for Peace and Development on the occasion of the launch of the "China-Russia Year of Education." It was carried out from late April to early May 2026 by the Global Opinion Research Center at Renmin University of China and a Russian partner organization, using an online survey of young people aged 18 to 35 in China and Russia. By presenting new trends in friendly exchanges between Chinese and Russian youth through data, the report provides a reference for deepening youth exchanges between the two countries and advancing China-Russia people-to-people cooperation.
(By Gong Weiwei)
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