Residents of Siberia are asking China for help and say they are even ready to learn Chinese In Irkutsk, locals recorded a video address to Putin, complaining about a severe shortage of school places. They asked the Russian authorities to turn to China with a request to finance the construction of a school. It seems they believe it is faster to get help from Beijing than from Moscow. “We are ready to learn the Chinese language, as we consider it truly necessary for us. Active development of cultural ties with China is the only possible path of development for us,” the residents of Irkutsk said in their appeal.