A statue of the ancient Chinese philosopher Confucius was unveiled at the Kazan Federal University on Wednesday as the 16th BRICS Summit continues in the Russian city.
The 2.5-meter statue, located across the street from the university's library, stands as a symbol of China-Russia cultural exchanges. In 2007, the Kazan Federal University co-founded a Confucius Institute with China's Hunan Normal University.
Kazan Federal University Rector Lenar Safin noted that the statue's unveiling during the ongoing BRICS summit carries symbolic meaning, and delivers a message of Eastern philosophy, represented by Confucius and Confucianism, helping to foster cultural exchanges among nations, build consensus and promote joint development.
The unveiling ceremony was attended by Shen Haixiong, deputy head of the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and president of the China Media Group, Bella Cherkesova, Deputy Minister of Digital Development, Communications, and Mass Media of the Russian Federation, Oleg Dobrodeev, CEO of All-Russia State Television and Radio Broadcasting Company (VGTRK) and other media guests from BRICS countries attending a BRICS media dialogue in Kazan.
Founded in 1804, Kazan Federal University established Russia's first Chinese language teaching institution in 1837. The university has maintained a strong tradition of Chinese language education and cultural studies. Currently, over 2,000 Chinese students are enrolled at the university, alongside approximately 1,000 local students who are studying Chinese.
The three-day 16th BRICS Summit kicked off on Tuesday, gathering leaders from the emerging-market cooperative group in Kazan.
Statue of Confucius unveiled at Russia's Kazan Federal University
Statue of Confucius unveiled at Russia's Kazan Federal University
The Chinese Embassy in South Africa on Monday held an event in Pretoria, the country's administrative capital, to celebrate the launch of the 2026 China-Africa Year of People-to-People Exchanges.
This year also marks the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and African countries.
Chinese Ambassador to South Africa Wu Peng said that over the past seven decades, under the joint guidance of leaders from both sides, China-Africa people-to-people and cultural exchanges have continued to expand, yielding fruitful outcomes.
Noting that the world is undergoing profound changes unseen in a century, Wu said China and Africa need to uphold fairness and justice, strengthen solidarity and mutual assistance, and enhance exchanges and cooperation more than ever before.
Taking the launch of the China-Africa Year of People-to-people Exchanges as an opportunity, Wu called for upholding the original aspiration of friendship, solidifying the foundation of cooperation, enhancing two-way efforts, and accelerating the building of an all-weather China-Africa community with a shared future for the new era.
Mmapaseka Steve Letsike, South Africa's deputy minister of women, youth, and persons with disabilities, said South Africa and China enjoy strong and historic bonds of friendship as close international cooperation partners in the political, economic, social, technical and multilateral domains.
"The significance of people-to-people is really about how we elevate the people's life to a just and equitable stance that we want to see. We want a better Africa; we want a better world. And that for us is significant," said Letsike.
"Through people-to-people exchanges, we promote mutual understanding, and that is the basis of building mutual trust, building peaceful coexistence. People-to-people exchange is a very important instrument for peace and mutual understanding," said Bongani Maimele, director of international relations with South Africa's National School of Government.
The opening ceremony of the 2026 China-Africa Year of People-to-People Exchanges was held at the African Union headquarters on Jan 8. According to the Chinese Foreign Ministry, the two sides will jointly host nearly 600 cultural and people-to-people exchange activities in 2026 to enhance exchanges and mutual learning between the two civilizations, and promote mutual understanding and connection between the peoples.
Organizing the 2026 China-Africa Year of People-to-People Exchanges is an important consensus reached by leaders from both sides at the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation Beijing Summit in 2024.
Chinese Embassy in South Africa unveils 2026 China-Africa Year of People-to-People Exchanges
