MOSCOW - The opening ceremony of a Chinese language and culture study center was held here Wednesday.

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The establishment of the study center is expected to help more Russian youngsters learn the language and the culture of China, as the development of Sino-Russian ties needs a large number of bilingual specialists, said Chinese ambassador to Russia Li Hui at the opening ceremony.

Li expressed hope that the study center could turn to be a cradle for future Sinologists.

Oleg Smolin, deputy director of State Duma's education committee, attended the opening ceremony and stressed the significance of Chinese learning and culture study.

The study center is affiliated with the Intellectual Boarding School that has about 300 students learning Chinese, according to the school.

Currently, some 130 Russian universities offer courses in Chinese with over 10,000 students studying the language. In Moscow alone, 13 schools teach Chinese to over 2,000 students. In Far East and Siberia, the Chinese language has become an even more common subject in schools.

In the year 2010, which marked the launch of Chinese Language Year in Russia, the number of Confucius Institutes in Russia has increased to a total of 17, according to the Chinese embassy in Moscow.