Ambassador leads Russian diplomatic mission in visit to museum on CPC

Led by ambassador Andrei Denisov, the Russian embassy staff became the first diplomatic mission in China to visit the recently opened Museum of the Communist Party of China in Beijing on Monday.

The building houses permanent and comprehensive exhibitions on the Party's history, featuring state-of-the-art displays and cutting-edge technology. After nearly 1,000 days of construction, the museum was officially completed in May and inaugurated on June 18, with its first visitors including Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee.

Denisov visited the museum for the first time on June 24 as part of a delegation of 100 foreign diplomats who were accompanied by State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi.

"I am very happy to visit the Museum of the CPC for a second time. I look forward to a third and a fourth visit," he said.

Accompanied by Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs Le Yucheng, Denisov and fellow diplomats from his embassy had a good opportunity to view precious archives, photos and videos that tell the history of the CPC's growth and development.

They also noticed that some exhibition halls displayed photos relating to the development of China-Russia relations in the 1980s and 1990s as well as more current ones.

"I was amazed to identify myself in several pictures," the ambassador said. During the tour, he could not help pointing at some of the photos when explaining details in them to fellow visitors.

Russian diplomats are no strangers to exhibitions and facilities related to China's revolutionary era and the Party. In 2019, the Russian embassy, led by Denisov, became the first foreign diplomatic mission to pay a group visit to the Fragrant Hills memorial site in Beijing that was once the seat of the CPC Central Committee.

Also led by Denisov, the embassy staff toured an exhibition last year that marked the 70th anniversary of the Chinese People's Volunteers army entering the Democratic People's Republic of Korea during the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea (1950-53).

The Museum of the CPC was launched ahead of the Party's centenary, which fell on Thursday. Denisov joined the grand celebration in Tian'anmen Square to mark the anniversary and listened to a key speech delivered by Xi.

"It (the CPC) is a great political force, it encompasses all walks of life of Chinese society and it has the ability to lead China's progress in the new stage," he said.

Denisov said he "has no doubt "that the goal set by the Party to build China into a modern socialist country that is prosperous, strong, democratic, culturally advanced and harmonious will be achieved by 2049, the centenary of the People's Republic of China.

Last month, Xi and Russian President Vladimir Putin issued a joint statement, officially announcing the extension of the China-Russia Treaty of Good-Neighborliness and Friendly Cooperation first signed 20 years ago.

The landmark treaty defines the basic framework and main direction for the development of bilateral relations in various fields, Denisov said.

"Our relationship could be characterized by mutual respect, mutual trust and mutual consideration of each other's interests. This is the essence of our current relationship," he said.

Liu Yusha in Beijing contributed to this story.