A children's care center testifies China-Russia friendship

Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin visited a local children's care center after at the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok, Russia, Wednesday, Sept. 12, 2018. [Photo: Xinhua]

As part of his trip to Russia's Far East earlier this week, Chinese President Xi Jinping made a stop-over at a local children's home that cared for a number of young survivors of the Wenchuan Earthquake 10 years ago.

After the Wenchuan earthquake in 2008, Russia invited some of the children traumatized by the disaster to travel to Russia for their rehabilitation.

Li Yue was sent to the Ocean All-Russia Children's Care Center in Vladivostok ten years ago. Now a student at Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou, she still looks back warmly on the Russian people who opened their doors and their hearts to her in that time of need.

Li was back in Vladivostok this week. When she saw the Russian teacher who taught her needlework all those years ago, Li couldn't hold back her tears.

That was part of an event that saw the Presidents of the two countries celebrate bilateral friendship.

Beyond the excitement of meeting the two leaders, Li also realized that she shoulders an important mission, because she is part of the ties that brings the two countries together.

"After I go back to China, I will work harder for my motherland. I wish I could have more opportunities to visit Russia and to make contributions to the bilateral friendship."

Sofia was a tutor who spent 21 days here with Chinese kids ten years ago. Back then, she was a freshman who had just started learning Chinese. Now, she can speak the language fluently.

Sofia already had an opportunity to meet with President Xi Jinping eight years ago at a Confucius Institute in Vladivostok. She shares her feelings about seeing the Chinese leader again.

"President Xi is not only our honorable guest, he is also a true friend. The children here consider him a friend."

Natalia Seminiuda, deputy director of the Ocean All-Russia Children's Care Center, says that the bond between the two presidents has helped to lay a sound foundation for the bilateral relationship.

"Our leaders are role models for our children. The kids here from the two countries have witnessed the exchanges between the two leaders. Russian kids now feel closer to China, and they will get along well with each other in the future."

Sofia hopes that the kids will grow up to become pillars of society. She would like to see them send their own kids to the center, and spend time with Russian kids.

She said that the bilateral relationship not only relied on meetings of state leaders, but also on the friendship between the young people in the two countries.

The Care Center in Vladivostok took in almost half of the 1,500 students invited to Russia from China's quake-hit areas in 2008. Many of them have kept in touch with the Russian friends here, remaining pen pals over the years.