China and Russia eye outer space, inner harmony
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PO: As China is promoting its economic strength, the so-called China threat theory has been increasingly popular worldwide. How does Russia, as a close neighbor of China, view this theory?
Razov: Russia is an open and democratic country. Many express different opinions on different issues including Russia's bilateral ties with China or other countries. I read Chinese newspapers and browse Chinese websites very often, and I know that Chinese also raise various views on this topic.
I don't think the "China threat theory" is the mainstream in Russia. It is only one of the views and can not represent the majority of our country. In fact, the Russian government is devoting itself to a strategic partnership of coordination with China.
Personally, I don't completely agree with this standpoint. We can view the problem from another aspect: Russia conducted a poll recently to ask people which country they liked the most, and China has become one of the most liked countries in Russia. This is what the majority of Russian people really think.
PO: This April 12 is the 50th anniversary of Soviet astronaut Yuri Gagarin becoming the first person to enter outer space. What do you think is the future of space cooperation?
Razov: This is quite an urgent problem. I am very proud that Yuri Gagarin entered space first. I still remember when I was a primary school student, how happy the Soviet Union people were because their compatriot was the first person to go into outer space. This is not only a festival of Russia, but one of the whole world, and hundreds of astronauts have now visited outer space. In the next 50 years, Gagarin's feat will be even important.
I said just now that Russia and China hold similar standpoints, and I also want to take an example here: Not long ago, Russia and China raised a treaty draft in Geneva on prohibiting the deployment of weapons in the outer space, an issue which has aroused wide concern. Therefore we also remind humanity not to militarize the outer space while we remember the 50th anniversary of Gagarin's launch.
