First of all, we should increase self-confidence in cultures and construct the spiritual home. We share the fortune of Asia’s glorious cultures, which are the spiritual foundation to guarantee healthy development of economy, politics and society as well as the enduring motivation for prosperity of Asian countries in the present era. Once again, the tenacious vitality and distinct charm of Asian cultures have been powerfully demonstrated in the current crisis. As Ministers of Culture, we should further affirm our faith to protect and promote the excellent cultures, thus safeguarding our spiritual home. For it’s necessary to boost people’s confidence and cultural identity through rejuvenating cultures, especially among the youth in Asia. By deepening the exchanges and cooperation within the region and the world, cultures can be constructed as the core competitiveness so as to facilitate the overall recovery of Asia’s economy and help Asian countries integrate into the world more confidently. What’s more, cultures, as the core competitiveness, can also help advance the status of Asia and expand its influence worldwide. Second, we should intensify multilateral cooperation and reinforce the foundation of dialogue. To strengthen mutual cultural cooperation between different countries within the region is in correspondence with the basic benefits of Asian people and the demand of the era. On the basis of existing exchanges and cooperation in and before the crisis, we should further reinforce multilateral collaborations and dialogue foundation, taking advantage of the cultural development chances. In terms of cultural exchanges, we should better optimize the existing communication mechanism, properly extend the scope of participation and reasonably improve the quality of exchanges. In terms of protecting culture heritage and its diversity, we should better intensify communication and dialogue to eliminate doubts and mutual trust. Only in this way can we increase mutual comprehension and support, eventually achieving the best result for regional culture development as a collective strength. In terms of human resource exchanges, we need to help construct an online platform, to promote talents exchanges and collaboration training and to facilitate sharing of human resources, all of which aim at improving the general level of cultural administration. We should make better efforts to build an effective mechanism for high-level dialogue and cooperation in cultural areas. Because it can mobilize the communications of culture administration and coordinate policies among governments so that Asians can speak with one voice and have a greater say in international affairs. Third, we should initiate cultural trades to achieve mutual benefits. When the interdependence of the Asian economy is continuously deepened, we should stimulate the cultural consumption as the major method to expand domestic demand. It’s a good way to initiate cultural trades by reasonably utilizing the existing dialogue or cooperation mechanism and absorb successful experience in Asian financial cooperation. We should seize the development chance for cultural industry to improve policies and to form a more integrated industry chain. Besides, we also ought to enhance the communications and collaborations between cultural enterprises in various countries for raising the import and export proportion of cultural products within the region and for boosting the international competitiveness of Asia’s cultural industry.

As an ancient Chinese saying goes “without small steps, one can’t cover a thousand mile journey; without small streams, there can be no oceans and rivers”. We convene the Asian Round Table of Ministers of Culture here for contributing our collective wisdom for Asian cultures. Looking around the conference room, I see many confident and firm faces. I feel the deep emotion of every Minister present for the profound and glorious Asian cultures and the eagerness for its future development. At this vital moment of the global economic crisis, there are both opportunities and challenges. It’s our historic obligations to carry out the prosperity and blossom of Asian culture in the new century. The future direction of Asian culture is in our own hands. Mao Zedong once said “Ten thousand years is so long that we have to seize every minute”. Let’s affirm our faith, coordinate our actions and grasp the strategic opportunities for creating a beautiful future.

(Erdos, China, 18 August 2009)

（translated by Wang Shan)