Welcoming crowd, reporters attending welcome ceremony for Putin share views on China-Russia friendship

China on Wednesday staged a grand welcome ceremony for Russian President Vladimir Putin, with both Chinese children and Russian reporters attending the event highlighting the strong people-to-people ties between the two nations.

At the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping, Putin is visiting China from May 19 to 20. This is Putin's 25th visit to China.

Ahead of the ceremony on Wednesday morning, Chinese Guard of Honor and the military band were in high spirits, well poised for the occasion.

Among the welcoming crowd were Chinese students waving flowers to greet Putin.

One child said he had visited Russia and found the Russian people very warm and friendly. Another boy spoke fondly of the beautiful scenery he saw during a train journey to St. Petersburg. A girl warmly welcomed President Putin to China and wished him a pleasant stay.

A large number of Russian reporters were present to cover the significant event, witnessing firsthand the growing friendship between the two peoples.

Alina Salionova, a reporter from RT, highlighted the education exchanges between the two countries, as this year and the next year were designated as the China-Russia Years of Education.

"This is also the start of the China-Russia Years of Education. There are many Russian students studying in China, and many Chinese students studying in Russia. If you look around at Moscow State University, you will have a sense of familiarity, because there are many spicy hot pot restaurants near Russian universities," she said.

"I think the most significant change is the visa-free policy between Russia and China. This has significantly brought the people of the two countries and the two nations closer," said Nefedova Alena, a reporter of Russian newspaper Izvestia.

Welcoming crowd, reporters attending welcome ceremony for Putin share views on China-Russia friendship

The Chinese mainland welcomes and supports more young people in Taiwan to take part in cross-Strait exchanges, said Zhu Fenglian, a spokesperson for the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, on Wednesday, as a new poll shows rising support for national reunification among the island's youth.

The poll, conducted in Taiwan, found that among young people aged 20 to 29, the proportion leaning toward secession has declined in recent years, while support for reunification across the Strait has steadily increased.

Commenting on the findings at a regular press conference, Zhu stressed that the mainland will support more frequent interactions between young people from both sides.

"Since the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities took power, they have aggressively promoted separatist fallacies, deliberately pushed 'de-sinicization,' restricted cross-Strait exchanges, and created 'information cocoons' to mislead the Taiwan people, especially the younger generation," Zhu said.

"More and more compatriots in Taiwan, particularly young friends, are actively participating in cross-Strait exchanges, learning from each other, and building mutual understanding. They are increasingly recognizing that unification is the irresistible trend and the path to a brighter future. We welcome and support more youth from both sides of the Strait to interact regularly, strengthen their pride and confidence as Chinese, and jointly strive for national unification and the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation," she said.

Mainland welcomes Taiwan youth to participate in cross-Strait exchanges: spokesperson