The "Year of Chinese Language" in Russia will comprehensively elevate the development of China-Russia strategic cooperative partnership, Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping said here Tuesday.

Xi, who is also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC), was speaking at the launch of the "Year of Chinese Language" together with Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin in the Kremlin.

Xi said, in recent years, the rapid development of culture exchange between China and Russia had played an important role in promoting their strategic cooperative partnership.

The "Year of Chinese Language" in Russia this year would further mutual understanding and traditional friendship between the peoples of the two countries, lay a solid social foundation for the China-Russia strategic cooperative partnership and comprehensively elevate the level of development of the partnership, he said.

The Chinese vice president also said that, through the long-term exchange with mutual respect and learning, the two cultures had become the spiritual strength in improving Sino-Russia relations.

He said the current language and culture exchange was blossoming.

Also addressing the opening ceremony, Putin said the rapid development of the Russia-China strategic cooperative partnership was closely related to the unprecedented and dynamic culture exchange, including the "Year of Chinese Language."

Putin said he believed the friendship between the peoples of the two countries would be enhanced by the spread of the two languages in each other's country.

Xi, who arrived in Russia on Saturday, is on a four-nation tour which will also take him to Belarus, Finland and Sweden.