MOSCOW — Vice-Premier Liu Yandong on July 5 called for joint efforts to deepen inter-university cooperation between China and Russia.

At the China-Russia Summit of University Presidents, which brought together presidents of over 200 universities from both sides, Liu said that educational and scientific cooperation have always been in the vanguard of China-Russia cultural ties.

Cooperation between universities from both countries has expanded, with the number of exchange students and joint education projects growing, said Liu.

China and Russia, both at their crucial stages of development, are tasked with searching for new modes of growth and should make the best use of each other’s advantages in education, innovation, and science and technology, Liu said.

Liu called on universities on both sides to establish educational programs to function as think tanks.

Joint efforts should be further made to train teachers, establish research teams and share information, she proposed.