The concept of further development of the PRC One zone, one way, voiced by China in September 2013, implies close cooperation of the countries-potential participants of the new Silk Road, including the scientific one.Ukraine is actively participating in this process. So, on October 30, 2017 on the basis of the Odessa National Maritime University (ONMU) the office of the Scientific Center for Social Development Studies of the countries of the new Silk Road was opened at the University.
The official opening of the center took place in the framework of the III International Scientific Conference Social Development of the New Silk Road Countries: Development of the New Silk Road in Ukraine, held in the ONMU. The delegation of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and the Institute of Sociology, the Consul-General of the People’s Republic of China in Odessa, Ms. Zhao Xiangrong, as well as students and the administration of the University took part in the conference.
The scientific cooperation of the ONMU and the PRC is 67 years old!
The university has a long-standing relationship with China, said the ONMU rector Sergei Rudenko. The first steps were taken in 1950, when the university, then the Odessa Institute of Marine Engineers, began training for the PRC. Then, direct contracts were signed with shipbuilding, shiprepairing enterprises and design organizations: the Tianjin Shipbuilding Company, the Ninth Design and Research Institute, and the Dalian Shipbuilding Corporation.
«Our graduates were well-known personalities in China, such as, for example: academician of the Academy of Sciences of the People’s Republic of China, Lia Inchen и Li Tszian, who was vice-president of the All-China Shipbuilding Corporation,» said Sergei Rudenko.
To date, the ONMU has worked with a number of well-known Chinese educational institutions and research institutes, including the Institute of Sociology of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (Beijing). The protocol on cooperation between the university and the Institute of Sociology was signed in October 2016.
«I hope that our cooperation will become one more step in the Ukrainian-Chinese scientific cooperation and the introduction of Ukraine to the initiative One zone, one way,» the rector of the National University of Ukraine expressed hope.
Social and psychological level the climate directly proportional to the value
The Consul General of the People’s Republic of China in Odessa, Zhao Xiangrong, also stressed the importance of conferences and the established scientific center: «I am sure that these platforms of communication will promote the development of friendly relations between our peoples, between universities and, of course, will develop cooperation between the relevant sectors of China and Ukraine».
On a social level, China is rapidly moving forward, Ms. Zhao Xiangrong said. So, in particular, over 60 million Chinese people have improved their social status over the past 5 years, more than 13 million people are employed each year, the ambassador said. Thus, she stressed, it is expected that by 2021 the concept of «poverty» will disappear completely in China, while the GDP per a person will be $ 10,000 per year.
China pays great attention to the development of the social component of the country, noted the head of the Europe and Central Asia Division of the International Cooperation Department of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Ms. Jin Zhe.
«We understand that the psychological climate in society directly depends on the level of social development,» Mrs. Jin Zhe said, adding. – «We hope that the joint cooperation of sociologists of China and Ukraine, the exchange of experience will improve the social climate in our countries».
Prospects for bilateral cooperation
The transport infrastructure of China is developing rapidly, said Ms. Zhao Xiangrong. A vivid example: high-tech high-speed Chinese trains that develop speeds of up to 350 km / h.
«From Beijing to Shanghai, the distance between which is 1200 km, you can drive in just 4.5 hours,» added Ms. Consul.
China’s initiative on the construction and development of the new Silk Road provides a chance to join the state development strategies of China and Ukraine, thanks to which the countries will be able to develop the economy and other spheres, outlined the prospects for bilateral cooperation said Ms. Chzhao Sianzhun.
Ukraine is an important country on the new Silk Road, since it connects Europe with Asia. This fact was repeatedly voiced by delegates from the PRC.
«Due to its geographical location, Ukraine can become a transit hub through which goods from China can directly enter Europe. In this case, Odessa is of great importance, since here the land zone intersects with the sea direction of the Silk Road,» Mrs. Jin Zhe said.
Within the framework of the project One zone, one way, cooperation with Ukrainian scientific centers and universities, providing for exchange students and specialists, joint research projects, etc will contribute to the entry of Ukraine into the new Silk Road, the Chinese sociologist is convinced.
New Silk Road is a new idea for communication
The new Silk Road will contribute to the improvement of communication between the participating countries of the project and the development of the economy of each of them — the employee of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and the coordinator of the research center opened at the ONMU, Mr. Ма Feng believes.
Mr. Ма Feng visited Ukraine for the first time in 1999, when he came to enter ONMU. At the University he received a degree of candidate of technical sciences. By the way, he defended his thesis in the same room where the center was opened.
«2000 years ago the Silk Road helped develop culture, civilization and business. It was the oldest means of communication, thanks to which the relations of China with other countries developed in a peaceful channel,» — the sociologist says. – «Unfortunately, the 20th century was marked by a huge number of conflicts in the world, so today we need a new idea for communications, and the new Silk Road is this idea».
Yīlùshùnfēng!
The sociologists of China consolidated partnership with ONMU by signing a bilateral agreement on future cooperation. At the doors of the office of the Scientific Center for Social Development Studies of countries of the new Silk Road, the delegates of the conference solemnly cut the red ribbon, officially launching another joint project in the framework of the New Silk Road and Ukraine’s participation in it.
«Yīlùshùnfēng, fair wind!» wished the consul of the PRC in Odessa, Ms Zhao Xiangrong.
«Such cooperation will help to create new ways for China to become even closer to Ukraine,» said Sergei Rudenko, the director of the Odessa National Maritime University.
