[Photo/culturalink.gov.cn]

Chinese Cultural Minister Luo Shugang held a meeting with Maurice Gourdault-Montagne, French ambassador to China, on Jan 20 in Beijing.

During the meeting, Luo Shugang first reviewed the bilateral relations the countries have enjoyed since the arrival of the new century and then spoke highly of their achievements in the cultural field. As representatives of Eastern and the Western culture, both China and France have given high priorities to cultural undertakings in their own modernization drive. Despite twists and turns, both sides have developed a strong and comprehensive partnership on the basis of mutual interests and win-win strategies. Fiftieth anniversaries of such diplomatic relations marked a new starting point for both countries and laid a solid foundation for the future.

Gourdault-Montagne noted that culture served as a soft power in bilateral relations. As an integral part of overall national power, cultural exchanges at the national level would not only deepen mutual understanding but promote domestic culture onto the world stage. He also mentioned that Chinese President Xi Jinping paid an official visit to France in March 2014 and reached an agreement with his French counterpart, François Hollande, to set up a high-level mechanism on people-to-people exchange, which gave fresh impetus to cultural communications.

Both sides agreed that Sino-French relations have boasted brilliant accomplishments with great potential in past decades. Also, a series of activities on the theme, “50th anniversary of Sino-French relations” have been launched successfully. On the occasion of such a critical moment, China and France would renew their established friendship and join hands to create a better future.