The head of Sberbank accompanied Vladimir Putin on his recent visit to Beijing for a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
A top Chinese university has awarded a Russian financier, who is under U.S. sanctions, an esteemed honorary academic position, shortly after they finalized a collaboration agreement focused on innovation.
German (also called Herman) Gref, chief executive and chairman of Russia’s Sberbank, has been awarded the title of “distinguished visiting professor” byTsinghua University, as reported by the Russian state news agency Ria on Tuesday, according to a source acquainted with the situation.
Gref was included in the group that accompanied Russian President Vladimir Putin to Beijing for a two-day official visit with the Chinese leader.Xi Jinping that concluded on Wednesday.
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The title is given to individuals who have provided “exceptional contributions” in the fields of economics, technology, public administration, and society, Ria reported, describing it as a rare and “highly prized” honor.
Gref received the honor due to his efforts in technological advancement and the progression of artificial intelligence within Russia and around the globe.
In 2023, Sberbank, referred to as Sber, introduced a custom neural network model named Gigachat. Since then, it has launched multiple AI assistants and applications utilizing this model.
On Tuesday, Gref mentioned that although Chinese chips are “not yet” being utilized to operate Gigachat, he expressed a desire for them to “progressively” be adopted, as reported by the Russian state news agency Tass.
In 2022, Gref was included in a list of Russian entities and individuals—such as numerous defense firms and hundreds of parliamentary members—who were targeted by the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control.
As per a statement released in March 2022, the department implemented the sanction to “impose significant expenses” on Russia for its conflict with Ukraine by “identifying critical supporters of the invasion”.
Gref was described as a “close associate of Putin” and has been a consultant to the Russian president since the 1990s, the statement noted, with the banking executive also holding the position of Russia’s minister for economic development and trade between 2000 and 2007.
Gref, who has been at the helm of Sber since 2007, is not the only Russian individual under sanctions to receive recognition from China’s top university.
In 2019, Xi awarded Putin an honorary doctorate from Tsinghua University, the Chinese leader’s former institution, as reported by China’s foreign ministry.
In the same year, Putin awarded Xi an honorary doctorate from Saint Petersburg State University, which is the Russian leader’s former educational institution.
The South China Morning Post has contacted Tsinghua University for a statement regarding Gref’s appointment and has not yet received an immediate reply.
In September of the previous year, Gref and President Li Luming of Tsinghua University finalized an innovative development collaboration agreement during theShanghai Cooperation Organisation summit.
Sberbank stated that the collaboration would promote the shared interests of Russia and China in scientific and technological cooperation, such as combined research efforts and academic interactions.
Gref also mentioned that the collaboration would “mark a new phase in the development of high-tech industries in Russia and China”.
“Working together with Tsinghua University marks a significant move in creating innovations that will benefit the whole global community,” Gref stated, as mentioned in a Sberbank announcement from September.
At the Xi-Putin summitOn Wednesday, over 40 agreements were finalized, among them a pact between Tsinghua University and Saint Petersburg State University to create a Russian-Chinese Institute for Innovative Research.
The institution seeks to establish a global innovation platform that combines research, education, and industrial development, as stated by Tsinghua.
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This piece was first published on the South China Morning Post (www.scmp.com), a top news outlet covering China and Asia.
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