On the occasion of Chinese President Xi Jinping's state visit to France, the China Media Group (CMG), the Alumni Association of the Paris Institute of Political Studies, the Inter-University Council of the United Nations in Paris, and China Jinan University held an event "Understanding China's Modernization - China-France Youth Dialogue" on May 5 local time in Paris, France.
The event was attended and speeches were made by Shen Haixiong, Deputy Head of the Publicity Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and President of the CMG, Jack Lang, former French Minister of Foreign Affairs, Minister of Culture and Minister of Education, Sylvie Bermann, former French Ambassador to China, Hervé Machenaud, representative of the Alumni Association of the Paris Institute of Political Studies and Academician of the French National Academy of Technical Sciences, and Charles Jeanne, President of the Inter-University Council of the United Nations in Paris.
Shen Haixiong said he arrived in Paris more than an hour ago on President Xi Jinping's special plane. President Xi Jinping was spontaneously welcomed not only by foreign Chinese but also by many French friends, and people's faces were full of joy. He said that since the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and France 60 years ago, the two countries have jointly created rich results of cooperation with mutual respect. Chinese and French civilizations appreciate and attract each other, and the pace of exchanges and mutual learning has never stopped. Since the beginning of this year, young cultural ambassadors from France have been deeply involved in research activities on "Chinese-style modernization" and experienced first-hand the vivid practice of Chinese-style modernization in China. They found that Chinese-style modernization is deeply rooted in China's excellent traditional culture. Heritage innovation, heritage development and heritage transformation are powerful driving forces for the Chinese nation with a long history to build a modern civilization. Chinese-style modernisation belongs to China and the world.
Shen Haixiong said that as an international mainstream media that is also full of youthful vitality, CMG will continue to build a platform for dialogue for exchanges, intermingling and friendship from the heart, enabling more young people to perceive the unique charm of China in the new era and the vigorous vitality of the Chinese nation in building a modern civilization. The future belongs to and is determined by young people. Shen Haixiong hopes that the young people of China and France will inherit and enrich the deep friendship between the two countries and contribute their youthful energy to building a community with a shared future for humanity.
Jack Lang said the establishment of diplomatic relations between France and China 60 years ago was a prudent and historic decision. China not only has a beautiful ancient civilisation, but also modern technology that leads the world. Today, China is playing an increasingly important role on the world stage. We look forward to France and China strengthening cooperation in bilateral economic and trade relations, people-to-people and cultural interactions, youth exchanges and other areas, especially cultural exchanges, and laying a solid foundation for the continued deepening of the comprehensive strategic partnership between France and China. During this event, two French cultural envoys invited by CMG went to China and had an intuitive experience of integrating and developing the protection of traditional Chinese culture with modern technological development. It hopes that more young people from both countries will use the dialogue as a means to jointly deepen French-Chinese friendship and promote exchanges and mutual learning between different civilizations in the world.
Sylvie Bermann said that as "friendly neighbours across mountains and seas", France and China have been constantly building new bridges of communication and friendship for a long time. People-to-people ties are the most valuable source of friendship between France and China. As the number of students exchanged between the two countries continues to grow, exchanges between young people from both countries have played an indispensable role in promoting the deep and lasting development of French-Chinese relations and strengthening friendship and mutual trust between the two countries. They believe that this dialogue will enable French young people to better understand today's China and grasp the global significance of Chinese-style modernization. The two countries are expected to take the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations as an opportunity to push people-to-people exchanges in various fields to new heights.
At the event, CMG also signed a "Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation between CMG and the Alumni Association of the Paris Institute of Political Studies". The two sides reached an agreement on cooperation in the areas of resource exchange between experts and scholars, media cooperation, joint research and publication of academic results. The Paris Institute of Political Studies was founded in 1872 and is known as the cradle of French political and business leaders.
At the subsequent China-France roundtable dialogue, young scholars and cultural ambassadors from both countries actively discussed Chinese modernization from the perspective of youth. The dialogue is believed to have opened a path of friendship and deepened mutual understanding. Young scholars and cultural envoys from both countries said that Chinese-style modernization not only benefits China but also provides more opportunities for the world.