Universities in St. Petersburg and Harbin jointly launch courses on doing business in China, Russia

Russia's Graduate School of Management of St. Petersburg University (SPbU), China's School of Management at the Harbin Institute of Technology (HIT) and the Export School of the Russian Export Center (REC) will launch a joint in-depth course on transnational business between Russia and China. 

A cooperation agreement was signed between the two universities during the Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to China last week.

Russia's VTB Bank and the REC will partner in initiating the development of the supplementary education programs on the Russian side.

The organizers plan to train the first two groups of corporate clients from Russia and China in 2024. The training program will incorporate online and in-person business trip modules, which will provide a theoretical understanding of doing business with new foreign partners, as well as a solid foundation for building quality partnerships during business trips.

"Cooperation between Russia and China is reaching a new level. To take this mutually beneficial partnership even further, we need a deeper immersion in the culture and the specific aspects of doing business in our countries. The Graduate School of Management of St. Petersburg University, as a leading business school, is joining forces with VTB, a leader of the financial sector, and the REC, which supports the non-commodity exports sector on the state level. Together, we are ready to share our knowledge and practical expertise with Russian companies that want to do business with China, and Chinese partners that want to build business ties with Russia," said Olga Dergunova, deputy president and chair of the VTB management board and director of the school.

As part of the new joint educational programs, VTB will share its expertise, including cross-border settlements, enabling participants to expand their business development opportunities internationally.

"Last year, the Export School took a first step toward implementing joint the initiatives at the international level by organizing a business negotiations competition between Russian and Chinese universities, which was joined by students of the Harbin Polytechnic University. Today, we are excited to officially cooperate in the development and implementation of an international educational program for businesses. We are happy to have on board such powerful partners as the School of Management of Harbin Polytechnic University. There is no doubt that this cooperation could be a great example of two countries bringing their efforts and expertise together to develop business education", said Alisia Nikitina, director general of the REC Export School.