What's the point?, Russia's "number one female powerhouse" visits Matvyenko in China | President | Russia

On the evening of July 9th, a special plane took off from Russia and arrived in Beijing, where the heat wave was chilly. The cabin door opened and a Russian woman dressed in a sky blue suit and styled short hair slowly stepped off the plane.

She is Valentina Matvyenko, Chairman of the Russian Federation Council. This time, she was invited by Zhao Leji, Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress of China, to visit China for three days.

On the afternoon of July 10, President Xi Jinping met with Matviyenko at the Great Hall of the People.

In March of this year, I conducted a state visit to Russia and reached new important consensus with President Putin on deepening comprehensive strategic cooperation and practical cooperation in various fields between the two countries. Developing China Russia relations is a strategic choice made by both countries based on the fundamental interests of their respective countries and peoples. China is willing to continue to work with Russia to develop a comprehensive strategic partnership of mutual assistance, deep integration, innovation, and mutual benefit in the new era, to assist the development and revitalization of both countries, and to promote the construction of a prosperous, stable, fair and just world.

From the hometown of "Paul"

Matvyenko, who has been in politics for many years, is known for being tough in Russian politics and has created multiple firsts. She is the first female mayor of St. Petersburg and the first female chairman of the Russian Federal Council.

However, the Russian people see her more as "Putin's confidant" because the city where she has been serving for a long time, St. Petersburg, is Putin's hometown, and she herself is also a close ally of Putin.

On April 1, 1949, she was born in the small town of Shepetovka near Poland in Ukraine during the Soviet era. That is also the hometown of the protagonist Paul Kochagin in the novel "How Steel is Tempered". Matvyenko, who received revolutionary traditional education from a young age, admires the "Paul" style steel warrior the most, which also makes her develop a strong personality from a young age. Whether it is academic performance or other things, she strives to be the first.

In the 1960s, Matveyenko was admitted to the Leningrad Institute of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences. Gradually, she found herself more interested in politics and directly joined the Communist Youth League after graduating from university, starting her political career.

In 1985, Matvyenko went to the Academy of Social Sciences directly under the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union for further studies. Afterwards, she climbed up the ladder of the Communist Youth League Party Soviet.

In the eyes of others, Matvyenko's career was "smooth sailing"——

She first served as the first secretary of the Leningrad State Committee of the Communist Youth League, and then was "promoted three levels in a row" and transferred to the Leningrad Soviet Executive Committee, where she became the vice chairman. In the late 1980s, Matvyenko received instructions from the Soviet Women's Foundation to enter Moscow and become a member of the Trade Union Parliament

Matvyenko himself never attributes his career to good luck. In her work, she buries herself in hard work, stays away from political disputes, and also uses her free time to enrich herself.

She realized the importance of English during her work process. So, Matvyenko worked hard to learn English in private and also kept English textbooks with him during his business trips. Sure enough, a few years later, the English she worked hard to learn came into great use. In 1991, Matvyenko passed the diplomatic rank qualification of Plenipotentiary Ambassador and successively served as Ambassador to Malta and Ambassador to Greece.

In 1997, shortly after serving as Ambassador to Greece, Matvyenko did something that impressed then President Yeltsin.

At that time, Russia leased a dilapidated building as a consulate in Greece. Matvyenko felt that "it is very inconsistent with our country's image. Therefore, I took back the building that originally belonged to us but was illegally occupied by Tunisian representatives within two months. Later, the renovated consulate won high praise from visitors.".

Matvyenko's efforts and persistence have been highly recognized by Yeltsin. In 1998, Russia was affected by the global financial crisis, causing social unrest and crises. Matvyenko was appointed in the face of danger and was directly transferred back to Russia by Yeltsin to serve as the Deputy Prime Minister in charge of social issues, becoming the first woman to enter the core of Russian state power. During the turbulent period of frequent government changes, she remained steadfast in her position as Deputy Prime Minister until 2003, despite her strong work abilities.

Putin's "confidant"

In the eyes of Russians, Matvyenko is a staunch ally and confidant of President Putin.

In fact, Matvyenko had heard about Putin many years ago.

In 1990, Putin worked at an intelligence station in Dresden, Democratic Germany. One day, a group of protesters surrounded the intelligence station building, attempting to forcibly break in.

At that moment, a young Soviet man stood out with a handgun. He calmly warned the protesters in pure German, "This is Soviet territory, and you are already standing on the border! I solemnly declare that I will shoot at those who cross the border!" The protesters stopped and after a while of shouting, they left.

This brave young man is Putin, and this matter has also been included in the intensive training course for Soviet diplomats. The teacher asked Matvyenko and other diplomats to "defend the national property of the Soviet Union" like Putin did. Matvyenko thus remembered Putin's name.

Later, Matvyenko returned from his diplomatic career and met Putin at a conference. "He has an irresistible attraction." After the meeting, the two exchanged phone numbers and quickly became friends.

On December 31, 1999, Yeltsin suddenly pushed Putin to the position of acting president. It is said that Yeltsin gave Putin a list of people who can shoulder great responsibilities. Matveyenko's name ranks in the top three. On the first day after officially taking office as interim president, Putin had a private meeting with Matvyenko and said, "Valentina, stay and help me continue to receive hot potato.".

Matvyenko remained as Deputy Prime Minister without saying a word.

In 2003, after gradually gaining control of the situation in Russia, Putin turned his attention to Russia's second largest city - his hometown of St. Petersburg.

At first, Putin transferred Matvyenko as the President's Plenipotentiary Representative in the Northwest Federal District, giving her more opportunities to participate in work in St. Petersburg.

After Matvyenko took office, it happened that Saint Petersburg was preparing for the 300th anniversary celebration of its founding. She actively participated as a representative of the President, and all major decisions had to be approved by her. Even Putin's meetings with visiting foreign dignitaries had to be arranged by her.

Soon, Matvyenko became a prominent figure in St. Petersburg and took office as mayor in October 2003, becoming the first female federal leader in contemporary Russian history.

Since then, Matvyenko's relationship with Putin has become even closer. It is said that there is a dedicated line to the Kremlin in her office. A former official from Matvyenko's office revealed, "She has almost every two days of communication with the President. The beginning of each conversation is: 'Valoja, this is the situation in my hometown...'"

"The number one female powerhouse"

Matvyenko, who has a tough style of behavior and an unusual relationship with Putin, is seen as a thorn in the side of the Russian political opposition.

In May 2007, the Russian Federal Security Agency uncovered an assassination plot against Matvyenko. When tracking and reporting on this matter, the media also found that she had received death threats as early as 2004.

A person who used to be the "underdog" of Matvyenko's campaign for the St. Petersburg Legislative Council member, after losing to her twice, vented her anger on her and accused Matvyenko of implementing an "anti Russian policy" on a certain website forum, announcing that she would be executed in the near future.

After the relevant reports were released, people were sweating for Matvyenko. But this female politician, known for her decisive actions, did not show any nervousness or panic. In a TV interview, she remained "tough" and calmly said, "Some people are trying to use violence to attack politicians and disrupt social stability. I believe the security department can definitely uncover the truth. Now I feel very safe and don't need any extra protection."

A few days later, she appeared on the streets of St. Petersburg, participating in a street roller skating and cycling competition. People were amazed, and Matvyenko's face was full of smiles, full of energy, and it was completely impossible to see that she had just experienced a thrilling adventure. No wonder some people say that she is worthy of the title of "number one female powerhouse" in Russia.

In August 2011, Matvyenko stepped down as the mayor of St. Petersburg. One month later, she was elected as the Chairman of the Russian Federal Council, becoming the first female Speaker of the upper house of the Russian parliament.

The Russian legislative body is divided into two chambers, collectively known as the Russian Federation Assembly. Among them, the upper house is the Council of the Russian Federation, and the lower house is the State Duma of Russia. In the political structure of Russia, the Chairman of the Russian Federal Council is considered the third powerful figure after the President and Prime Minister, so Matvyenko is also known as Russia's "number one female powerhouse".

On October 1, 2014, she was re elected as the Chairman of the Federal Council. On September 18, 2019, Alexander Bigelov was appointed as the Mayor of St. Petersburg, once again granting Matvyenko the power to represent St. Petersburg in the Federal Council.

In recent years, the relationship between China and Russia has become increasingly close, and practical cooperation between the two countries in various fields has continued to deepen. Matvyenko has visited China multiple times, making contributions to the development of friendly relations between Russia and China and strengthening cooperation.

Every time we talk about China, Matvyenko has endless topics to talk about.

"What impressed me most was always the meeting with the People's Republic of China President Xi Jinping. He is a very unique, wise, experienced, knowledgeable and very personable person."

"Meeting with young Chinese people once again shows me how patriotic, intelligent, and cultured they are."

"Everyone envies me for taking this photo with the unique Chinese giant panda. Looking at this photo now, I can still feel the warmth this little guy has brought me."

On July 10, 2023, Zhao Leji, Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, held talks with Matvyenko and jointly chaired the 8th meeting of the China Russia Parliamentary Cooperation Committee.

Zhao Leji stated that since its establishment 18 years ago, especially in the past 9 years of restructuring, the China Russia Parliamentary Cooperation Committee has actively engaged in dialogue and cooperation, achieving fruitful results. Both sides should play a good role as a platform for this period of exchange mechanism, further enhance friendly exchanges at all levels and fields, and enrich the connotation of institutionalized and normalized exchanges. Encourage young people from both countries to engage in more friendly exchanges and consolidate the foundation of friendship between China and Russia for generations. Strengthen legislative and supervisory work, exchange and learn from experiences in governance, and consolidate and expand cooperation among local legislative bodies. Strengthen legislative cooperation in foreign-related fields and promote the formation of a foreign-related legal and regulatory system that is suitable for each country's national conditions and practical needs. Closely collaborate in multilateral fields such as the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, BRICS countries, G20, and the Eurasian Conference of Speakers of State, adhere to true multilateralism, and promote the development of the international order towards a more just and reasonable direction.

The Russian Federation Conference is willing to work together with the National People's Congress of China to implement the important consensus of the two heads of state, promote cooperation in various fields such as economy and trade, investment, local affairs, youth, and the rule of law, strengthen coordination in multilateral parliamentary settings, and create a good legal environment for the development of bilateral relations.