Why Are Russia and China Cooperating on ‘Patriotic Education’? — SkimNews
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- China and Russia committed to enhancing patriotic education for youth during the October 21 Li-Mishustin summit in St. Petersburg, part of a broader agreement covering AI, space, and nuclear energy.
- China launched its patriotic education campaign in 1989, two weeks after the Tiananmen Square crackdown, to reinforce state loyalty and distrust of Western influences through school curricula and historical site visits.
- Russia introduced its first patriotic education plan in 2001 under Putin, initially emphasizing cultural pride but shifting toward militarism and anti-Western sentiment after the 2014 annexation of Crimea.
- The CCP elevated patriotic education into a whole-of-society mandate under Xi, culminating in the 2023 Patriotic Education Law, which legally obligates institutions to promote loyalty to the nation and the party.
- The 2023 Patriotic Education Law explicitly frames the 'sacred duty' of unifying Taiwan with China as a core goal, aiming to build public support for reunification through ideological conformity and covert influence operations.
- Putin and Xi are leveraging patriotic education to reinforce legitimacy by promoting a shared narrative of national resurgence and resistance to Western dominance, particularly amid geopolitical pressures.
Why it matters: The formalized collaboration on patriotic education strengthens authoritarian resilience in both countries by institutionalizing youth indoctrination around territorial claims and anti-Western sentiment. This alignment increases the risk of coercive actions toward Taiwan and entrenches long-term strategic rivalry with democracies, with real implications for regional security and global ideological competition.
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