Russian scholars stress economy, tech sovereignty as Putin starts new term

As President Vladimir Putin starts his fifth presidential term, some Russian scholars believe that the leader will prioritize developing the economy and enhancing technological sovereignty during his next six years in office.

An inauguration ceremony was held at the Kremlin in Moscow on Tuesday, marking the commencement of Putin's six-year tenure.

During his annual state-of-the-nation address to the Federal Assembly on February 29, Putin emphasized the necessity for Russia to possess key technologies in fields such as public health and food security. He also stressed the importance of achieving technological independence in areas such as machine tools and robotics to foster sustainable economic development.

Sergey Markov, director of the Institute of Political Studies and former State Duma member, said economic development led by high technology will be high on the mind of Putin.

"Russia must drastically increase high-tech output besides just weaponry. Building a more modern, independent and diversified economy is a paramount goal for Putin," he said.

Among the objectives mentioned by Putin, Konstantin Kostin, chairman of the Civil Society Development Fund, highlighted the urgency of attaining technological sovereignty.

He said Western sanctions and suppression are driving Russia to rebuild itself as an industrialized nation with independent technological capabilities to engage in equal dialogue with the West.

"Putin has stated that we are willing to continue dialogue with Western countries, but it must be on equal terms. Not only do we respect the interests of Western countries, but they must also respect ours. Otherwise, such unequal dialogue would be meaningless," he said.

Russian scholars stress economy, tech sovereignty as Putin starts new term

A fifth grader in Shaoxing City, east China's Zhejiang Province, has been praised by the school for her acts of saving a classmate from choking via the Heimlich maneuver.

Security camera video recorded on May 8 shows that Li Lexin, a student with the Qingfangcheng No. 2 Primary School, is walking home with her two classmates and finds out that one of the classmates suddenly begins struggling in breathing. He is later found to be chocked by an ice cube.

"I realized he was choking, and I was a little bit in panic. But the Heimlich rescue approach soon popped up in my mind. And I quickly took his backpack off, used the Heimlich maneuver, and after two compressions, he spit out the ice cube stuck in his throat," Li said.

Thanks to regular first-aid trainings carried out at Li's school, Li saved the classmate from the dangerous situation in just six seconds.

"When it comes to student safety education, in addition to the regular '11530' safety education reminder and the monthly emergency drill, we will, on other occasions of safety education, routinely teach the students safety knowledge and provide them with safety skills training," said Xu Xudong, principal of the Qingfangcheng No. 2 Primary School.

The "11530" safety education reminder refers to one-minute safety reminder told by parents to their children before school, one-minute safety education carried out by teachers for their students after classes, five-minute morning talks carried out by teachers with their students on weekends, and 30-minute safety education course for students before each major holiday or on each safety education day.

Primary school student saves choking classmate via Heimlich maneuver