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SCIO press conference on white paper 'A Global Community of Shared Future: China's Proposals and Actions'

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Pakistan City News Network:

First of all, I would like to express my heartful thanks to the MFA for this valuable opportunity to participate into this press conference. My first question is what role does cultural exchange play in building a community with shared future of mankind? The second question is what challenges are there for building such a community? Thank you so much.

Li Qun:

Thank you for your questions. You may have noticed that at the recently concluded 45th UNESCO World Heritage Committee session, China's "Cultural Landscape of Old Tea Forests of the Jingmai Mountain in Pu'er" was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. This is also the first time that an intangible cultural heritage with the theme of Chinese tea culture has been included on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Of course, this is also the latest case of China's active participation in international cultural exchanges and contribution of Chinese wisdom.

Building a global community of shared future is the core idea of Xi Jinping Thought on Diplomacy , and enhancing people-to-people exchanges is an important way to build it. People-to-people exchanges put value in caring for and respecting people, which is a vital gene in China's fine traditional culture, and highly consistent with the philosophies of other countries and nations around the world. Therefore, people-to-people exchanges, together with political mutual trust and economic and trade cooperation, constitute important pillars of China's foreign policy. However, with the world now experiencing unprecedented changes, marked by a complex and fast-changing international environment and a once-in-a-century pandemic, the deficits in peace, security and governance have all hindered and posed challenges to international people-to-people exchanges.

President Xi Jinping has attached great importance to international people-to-people exchanges. He proposed the GCI and advocated the building of a global network for inter-civilization dialogue and cooperation to promote mutual understanding and friendship among people of all countries and jointly advance the progress of human civilization. China has actively participated in people-to-people exchanges. The country has signed cooperation agreements with 157 countries in the fields of culture, cultural heritage, and tourism, and signed bilateral agreements on the prevention of illegal entry and exit of cultural relics with 25 countries. Over the past decade, China has partnered with countries worldwide to organize more than 500 exhibitions showcasing cultural relics. Chinese experts have undertaken cultural relics preservation and restoration projects in 11 sites across six countries, including the ancient city of Khiva in Uzbekistan and Angkor Wat in Cambodia. Furthermore, 44 joint archaeological endeavors have been conducted with 24 countries, resulting in the repatriation of over 1,800 lost cultural relics to China. This year, China established the Alliance for Cultural Heritage in Asia, launched the Asian Fund for Cultural Heritage Conservation, hosted global cultural events such as "Happy Chinese New Year" and "Tea for Harmony" Yaji Cultural Salon, and carried out the "Nihao China!" tourism promotion event and the Cultural Silk Road program . All these efforts have significantly enhanced international communication in the realms of culture, cultural relics, and tourism, ultimately promoting socioeconomic development.

Chinese civilization is uninterrupted, innovative, unified, inclusive, and peaceful. The Chinese government has been committed to conducting international people-to-people exchanges, making a positive contribution to promoting diverse global cultures and fostering more inclusive and sustainable global socioeconomic development. Looking ahead, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and the National Cultural Heritage Administration will actively implement the GCI, strengthen cooperation in cultural exchanges, and take necessary steps to promote world peace, cooperation, and the inheritance and development of human wisdom and civilization. Thank you.