Cui Li, vice-president of the Good-Neighborliness, Friendship and Cooperation Commission (GNFCC) of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), visited St. Petersburg State University of Economics (UNECON) on Nov 20 at the invitation of the university and met with Vice-Rector Dmitry Vasilenko.

Cui expressed her pleasure at visiting UNECON, a prestigious Russian institution known for cultivating high-end talents in economics, and exerting its significant role in promoting cooperation between Chinese and Russian universities. As China has assumed the rotating presidency of the SCO, Cui emphasized the GNFCC's commitment to building platforms that strengthen exchanges and increase training, internships, and innovation and entrepreneurship opportunities for young people. These efforts aim to align with development needs and expand practical cooperation.

Vasilenko warmly welcomed the delegation led by Cui and lauded the GNFCC's efforts in promoting people-to-people cooperation and connectivity. He expressed a willingness to further deepen educational cooperation on talent cultivation across various fields for SCO countries.

The establishment of the first Chinese library in Russia at UNECON in June 2015 serves as a vivid example of cultural exchanges between the two countries. After the meeting, the GNFCC donated a collection of books published in China about SCO countries to the university library, aiming to make Russian students better understand SCO countries.

Zheng Wei, secretary-general of the GNFCC, and Andre Proutskikh, dean of the College of Humanities at UNECON, also attended the meeting.