SPbPU: Polytechnic University and Tsinghua University held a joint scientific seminar

Polytechnic University and its strategic partner — Tsinghua University (PRC) — continue to strengthen cooperation. As part of a large-scale humanitarian project initiated by scientists from Polytechnic University and Tsinghua University, an international scientific seminar «Strategic Partnership Dialogue between Russia and China: Achievements and Research Prospects» was held. The event was organized by the Department of Social Sciences of the Institute of Humanities, International Office of SPbPU, and Tsinghua University Institute for Strategic Cooperation between China and Russia (TSCCR). The seminar was held at the Resource Center on the SPbPU International Campus in a mixed format — face-to-face and online.

The seminar participants discussed the prospects of joint research on various aspects of Russian-Chinese cooperation, as well as comparative studies of the history of the two great powers carried out within the framework of the TSCCR activities. Vladimir Khizhnyak, Head of the International Cooperation Department of SPbPU, presented the main directions of cooperation between Polytechnic University and Tsinghua University, and promising joint scientific and educational projects, as well as talked about how the difficulties associated with the coronavirus pandemic are overcome in the framework of the strategic partnership.

Professor Zhou Maolin, Chairman of the Academic Council of the ISCCR, reminded the audience of the history of the Institute for Strategic Cooperation between China and Russia, which was originated by academicians Yuri Vasiliev and Ni Weidou (honorary professor of SPbPU). Professor Zhou Maolin emphasized that the results of the joint work of Chinese and Russian scientists invariably receive high praise in Chinese academic and government circles.

Professor Sergey Kulik, head of the Department of Social Sciences at SPbPU, spoke about the projects implemented over the past seven years as part of the «Strategic Partnership Dialogue between Russia and China» research program. During these years, about 10 scientific conferences and round tables have been held, two collective monographs and a number of scientific articles in Russian and Chinese have been published.

Professor Wang Qi, TSCCR Director, who is also a graduate of St. Petersburg Polytechnic University, introduced the participants of the seminar with the intermediate results of scientific project of national importance of the PRC «Oriental Studies in Russia: research and database development,» in which the representatives of Polytechnic University also took part. Professor Wang Qi noted that the achievements of the SPbPU Institute of Humanities in the field of digital humanities could be useful to the Chinese colleagues at the final stage of the project.

Svetlana Ulyanova, professor at the Department of Social Sciences at SPbPU, drew attention to the importance of comparative historical research on significant historical events and the problems of historical memory. According to the professor, historical memory is an expression of the process of organization, preservation and reproduction of the past experience of people, country and state for its possible use in the activities of people.

At the end of the seminar, the participants unanimously agreed that the cooperation between the scientists of the two countries makes a significant contribution to the study of history and the current state of Russian-Chinese relations and outlined specific activities for the implementation of the research project and the development of cooperation between SPbPU and Tsinghua University in the field of humanities.