KAZAN, 14 November. /TASS/. The China Friendly standard may receive the status of GOST (Russian national standards) in 2025, Director of Multilateral Economic Cooperation and Special Projects of the Russian Ministry of Economic Development Nikita Kondratiev said on the sidelines of the 2nd International Forum Rostki: Russia and China - Mutually Beneficial Cooperation.
"Hotels and personnel in many Russian regions are being certified for compliance with China Friendly standards. <...> We expect the China Friendly standard to be given the status of a state standard. This initiative is included in the national standardisation plan for next year," Kondratyev said.
According to the official, the standard requires accessibility of information in Chinese, availability of prompt interpretation, staff training, adaptation of services and products, and others.
Amid the growth [of tourist traffic], we are now focusing on creating a comfortable environment for tourists from China to enjoy their holidays, making cashless payment for goods and services more accessible," Kondratyev said.
The China Friendly project has been implemented since 2014 on the initiative and with the support of the World Without Borders tourism association. The project covers hotels, restaurants, museums, entertainment centres, as well as companies providing tourist and excursion services. China Friendly is a component of Rostourism's comprehensive Russian Hospitality project, which aims to create a favourable environment for tourists of all cultures in Russia.
The International Forum Rostki: Russia and China - Mutually Beneficial Cooperation will be held in Kazan on 13-15 November. The forum's business program includes 70 sessions on trade, investment, technology, logistics, petrochemicals, agriculture, education, tourism and other topics. More than 10,000 participants are expected to attend the event, including representatives of 69 Russian regions and 26 China's administrative divisions.The forum will also host the Russia China Expo international exhibition and will offer an extensive cultural program to all participants.
TASS is the general information partner of the forum.