Chinese and Russian Communists Launch Project to Promote 'Red Tourism'

In a nod to shared histories and continuing solidarity, communists in both China and Russia are seeking to jointly promote “red tourism.”

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The Chinese People's Daily, the official newspaper of the Communist Party of China, along with the Communist Party of the Russian Federation, have launched a new project that will include visits to sites in the two countries rooted in their respective histories of communism and socialism.

According to Song Liyun, the deputy director-general of the People's Daily online portal, both sides are actively working towards the implementation of the project.

While “red tourism” has existed and flourished in China for the past decade, with more than four billion trips organized in the last decade with the help of the Communist Party, the joint project will seek to see increased visitors between Russia and China.

"There definitely is growing interest among Chinese tourists for Russia, especially the older generations, who are nostalgic about the history of Russia," Zeng Qingan, general manager of Beijing Global Travel Ltd, told the Global Times.

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With this year marking the 100th anniversary of the October Revolution, Russia is already expecting an increase in Chinese red tourists, who will visit sites such as Ulan Ude, home of the biggest revolutionary leader Vladimir Lenin monument, and the actual site of the October Revolution in St. Petersburg, which was renamed Leningrad during the Soviet era.

So far, 20 tour operators from both countries have signed cooperation agreements to facilitate the trips.

According to political analyst Basem Tajaldine, the strengthening trade, political and military ties between the two nations “can be interpreted as a strategy to confront the hegemonic powers of the West.”

“Undoubtedly this relationship with China is a scenario that shapes a different foreign geopolitics … (against) the imperialist onslaught of North America," said Basem in a recent interview with teleSUR.