The Confucius Institute at Moscow State University will hold a series of events during the "Chinese Language Year" in Russia in 2010, the director of the institute says.

Director Ren Guangxuan told Xinhua recently that artistic performances, exhibitions and seminars will be among the events, and leading scholars from Peking University would introduce China's culture, history, art and philosophy to the audiences.

A China-Russia friendship club will be founded at the Confucius Institute, Ren said, adding that the club will stage a variety of cultural exchanges between college students from both countries during the "Chinese Language Year."

The Confucius Institute, jointly unveiled last year by Chinese State Councilor Liu Yandong and Victor Sadovnichii, the president of Moscow State University, now has a student population of more than 140.

Spurred by proposals from the leaders of the two countries, China and Russia staged reciprocal theme-year activities, with "Year of Russia" in China in 2006 and "Year of China" in Russia in 2007.

To further consolidate their cultural cooperation, the two countries decided to hold the "Russian Language Year" in China in 2009 and the "Chinese Language Year" in Russia in 2010.