An online China-Russia youth forum on innovation and development of the China-Russia Tea Road was recently held.

Wu Wei, vice-governor of North China's Shanxi province and Sergey Kalashnikov, chairman of the Russia International Cooperation Association, addressed the joint forum venues in Taiyuan, capital of Shanxi and the city of St. Petersburg in Russia. 

In his speech, Wu stated that in the 18th and 19th centuries, the China-Russia Tea Road spanned over 13,000 kilometers throughout Eurasia -- strongly promoting economic, social and cultural exchanges between China, Russia and European countries. 

He urged the young people of Shanxi and Russia to continue in the dynamic tradition of the ancient Tea Road. They should take the tea cultural, industrial and technological exchanges and cooperation as links -- focusing on the cultivation of young scientific and technological minds and friendly communications between young people, he added.

The Russia International Cooperation Association's Sergey Kalashnikov said that the China-Russia Tea Road was a win-win model in the history of the two countries. He hoped the tea road would become a new bridge to enhance the friendship between the two peoples and gradually transform itself into a real road of economic cooperation, giving new impetus to their mutual development. 

Irina Fedorovna Popova, director of the Institute of Oriental Manuscripts at the Russian Academy of Sciences in St. Petersburg, Li Anping, chairman of the Shanxi Herbal Tea Industry Alliance and Tu Youying, professor of the Faculty of Tea Science at Zhejiang University gave keynote speeches on tea culture, industry and technology.

In addition, the Shanxi Youth Herbal Tea Industry Alliance was founded at the forum, unveiling new products to the public. 

The forum also saw the signing of a youth partnership agreement between the Shanxi Provincial Party Committee of the Communist Youth League and the St. Petersburg International Cooperation Association.

It also witnessed the signing of a promotion and publicity authorization letter for Shanxi herbal tea between the Shanxi Herbal Tea Industry Alliance and the Shanxi Chamber of Commerce in Russia -- as well as a letter of intent for strategic cooperation between the Shanxi branch of the Shanxi-Shandong-Henan headquarters of China Railway Group and the Shanxi Herbal Tea Industry Alliance.