Chinese President Xi Jinping applauded China-Russia cultural exchange when speaking at the opening ceremony of the China-Russia Years of Culture and a special concert celebrating the 75th anniversary of the two countries' diplomatic ties in Beijing on Thursday.
Jointly attending the event with visiting Russian President Vladimir Putin, Xi spoke highly of the music cultures of the two countries in his address.
"High Mountains and Flowing Water (a traditional Chinese music masterpiece) is played for cherished friends. China has a long tradition of building bonds and conveying emotions through music. Russian music has a profound cultural background and is particularly moving. The folk music of our two countries are splendid flowers in the garden of world civilization. Tonight, artists from the China National Traditional Orchestra and the Osipov State Russian Folk Orchestra will jointly present not only Russian songs well-known in Chinese households such as Moscow Nights and Katyusha, but also famous Chinese pieces with unique oriental charms such as Song of the Homebound Fishermen and Blooming Flowers and the Full Moon. We believe that this musical feast will become a splendid chapter in the cultural exchanges and mutual learning between China and Russia," Xi said.
Xi applauds cultural exchange at opening ceremony of China-Russia Years of Culture
Xi applauds cultural exchange at opening ceremony of China-Russia Years of Culture
Foreign investment utilized by national economic and technological development zones (ETDZs) accounted for nearly a quarter of the country's total in 2025, according to statistics released by the Ministry of Commerce in Xiamen City, east China's Fujian Province, on Wednesday.
The report was released at the 26th China International Fair for Investment and Trade underway in Xiamen.
In 2025, the total amount of actual foreign investment utilized by national ETDZs reached 25.6 billion U.S. dollars, accounting for 24.5 percent of the nation's total, it said.
As key platforms for China's opening-up, national ETDZs are undergoing a transformation: rather than simply competing on preferential policies, they are now focusing on new quality productive forces, building high-quality industrial ecosystems tailored to local conditions and prioritizing sectors such as advanced manufacturing, biopharmaceuticals and robotics.
At an investment promotion and matching event during the fair, representatives from national ETDZs across the country engaged in face-to-face exchanges with corporate representatives regarding industrial development needs.
"Companies used to focus on land and government policy subsidies. Now, more businesses pay attention to local supporting industrial chains, the open application scenarios in our market and the development of our overall financial ecosystem including funds and financial institutions," said Yang Jie, member of the Party Working Committee and director of the Investment Promotion Bureau of Nantong Economic and Technological Development Zone in Jiangsu Province.
China's ETDZs attract quarter of nation's total foreign investment in 2025: report
