China and Russia will hold a "Year of China-Russia media exchange" in 2016-17 in order to boost bilateral people-to-people communications, the leaders of the two countries announced on May 8.

"We stand ready to deepen the traditional friendship with the Russian people, promote the docking of our strategies of development and chart the future course for our friendly cooperation," said Chinese President Xi Jinping when meeting with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Moscow. 

Putin hailed the comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination between the two countries, noting that it has yielded fruitful results in various fields and at different levels.

The friendly exchanges between China and Russia are based on the solid foundation of the two nations' rapidly developing bilateral relationship. It is also said that the Sino-Russian friendship was forged with blood during WWII and the ties of friendship between the two peoples have been carried on by subsequent generations.

On May 8, Xi also met with 18 representatives of the Russian veterans who fought on the battlefields of Northeast China during the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression (1937-45) and in Russia's Great Patriotic War, as well as representatives of Russian experts who had contributed to the People's Republic China's early development. 

Xi spoke highly of the veterans' great contributions to the victories of China's military campaigns and the World Anti-Fascist War.

In April, on behalf of Putin and the Russian government, the Russian Ambassador to China Andrei Denisov presented medals to 31 Chinese veterans for the contribution they made during the Great Patriotic War. Some of the veterans were also invited to attend the celebrations in Moscow to mark the 70th anniversary of Russia's victory.

In China, a number of memorial activities were held. On May 8, hundreds of college students in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province visited the Nanjing Aviation Martyrs Memorial Museum of Chinese People's Anti-Japanese War. Standing by the Aviation Martyrs of the Second World War Monument, they paid their respect to the Soviet aviator Nezhdanov, who was the first Soviet pilot to die fighting the Japanese in China. 

On the monument, there are the names of 3,305 pilots from home and abroad who were killed during the Chinese war against Japanese aggression, including 236 Soviet martyrs. "We wish to send our regards to the people of Nezhdanov. We didn't and will never forget it," said Chen Shuangjie, a Student from Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics.

Since 2000, China and Russia have had regular visits and exchange between the two sides. Russia is the first country that Xi Jinping visited after coming into power. The two leaders have held over 10 meetings since 2013. 

Early this year, Russia became one of the founding members of AIIB and has shown support to China's "Belt and Road" initiatives.

Romanov, lead researcher of Institute of Far Eastern Studies, told the People's Daily that the two neighbors have established regular meeting mechanism on the government level and set up cooperation committees covering all areas which could clear away obstacles and peacefully resolve conflicts. 

"They are stabilizers of maintaining high level operation in the relations between China and Russia," Romanov said.

Regular visits and exchange mechanisms help boost bilateral ties, specifically in tourism, education and business fields. A series of events, such as "country year," "year of languages," and "tourism year," have been held successfully. The "Sino-Russian Youth Friendship Exchange Year" was kicked off last year with a host of activities that aimed to create better relations and closer ties between the two countries.  

The establishment of Chinese cultural centers and Russian cultural centers is a new platform to push greater mutual understanding. Moreover, more than 20 Confucius institutes and Chinese classrooms in Russia have made contributions to enhancing understanding and friendship. 

Over three-fourths of Russians see China as a friendly country, according to a survey released by Russia's Public Opinion Foundation on Wednesday, just a day before Chinese President Xi's visit to Russia. This data has reached a new high that shows that such exchanges have made an impact.

Ilya, a student from Moscow state university who was invited to visit China in 2012 together with his classmate, said, "The trip was very unforgettable, the hospitable people and colorful culture of China impressed me a lot."

They had a series of exchange activities focusing on culture, history, science and technology. They later held a photography exhibition in Moscow, sharing their experiences in China.

(Han Shuo, Xie Yahong contributed to the report)