Visiting Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping Sunday encouraged Chinese and Russian youths to make joint efforts in helping push forward the friendly bilateral ties.

Xi, during his visit to the Confucius Institute of Far Eastern National University here, called on youths of the two countries to realize the aim with their youthful passion and wisdom.

At the institute, which was founded in 2006, Xi watched an exhibition showing its achievement, attended a Chinese calligraphy lesson taken by Russian students, and inaugurated a bronze statue of Confucius.

Xi also paid a visit to the "Ocean" all Russia children's center, where hundreds of Chinese pupils and middle-school students, victims of a devastating major earthquake in 2008, had attended a rehabilitation program.

The massive earthquake struck southwestern China's Sichuan, Shaanxi and Gansu provinces on May 12, 2008, leaving some 70,000 people dead and 18,000 others missing.

Xi recalled that the Russian government and people provided timely assistance to victims of the quake and President Dmitry Medvedev later invited more than 1,500 Chinese pupils and middle-school students from the quake-hit areas to Russia for rehabilitation.

The Chinese vice president conveyed the sincere greetings and best wishes of these Chinese children to their Russian peers in the center, and, on behalf of the Chinese government and people, expressed his heartfelt thanks to the staff of the center.

Xi said Chinese and Russian youths are the builders and successors of the future undertaking of the Sino-Russia friendship.

He said the "Year of Chinese Language" would open in Russia in several days, expressing his hope that Russian youths would actively take part in related activities, and learn Chinese language, history and culture.

Xi arrived in Vladivostok Saturday for a five-day official visit to Russia.

(Xinhua News Agency March 22, 2010)