Discussion of Co-Building “One Belt and One Road” in Cultural Industry by Ministers of Culture of China and Arab

On 10th, September, as an important part of the third Arabic Arts Festival and one of the cultural forum activities of the Silk Road under the program Declaration of the Forum on China-Arab Cooperation, Forum for Ministers of Culture of China and Arab hosted by Ministry of Culture of the People’s Republic of China, League of Arab States with the partnership of National Museum of China and China Art and Entertainment Group. Cai Wu, minister of Ministry of Culture of the People’s Republic of China attended the forum and gave a speech. Lv Zhangshen, the curator of National Museum of China, Fatimatou, Chairman of the forum of the Arabic party, Minister of Ministry of Culture and Traditional Industry of Mauritania as well as ministers and representatives of Ministry of culture of 18 Arabic countries and Mohammed Salim, Director of Culture and Civilization Dialogue Office of League of Arab States addressed speeches respectively in the forum. Zhang Aiping, director of Bureau for External Cultural Relations of Ministry of Culture of the People’s Republic of China hosted the forum.

In the speech, Cai Wu expressed that cultural dialogues and cultural exchanges between China and Arab has a long and profound history and the friendship is solid. Last year, Chinese President Xi raised the great initiative of co-establishing “The Silk Road Economic Belt” and “The Silk Road on the Sea in 21st Century” and the initiative has been valued and supported by many countries, including Arabic countries. This strategic thought is beneficial for supplying each other’s needs and being complementary to each other in different regions and it is a great career bringing convenience for the people of the countries who live on the path of the Silk Road. The thought of “One Belt and One Road” brings new energy and vitality for the relationship between China and Arab.

Cai Wu thinks that cultural exchange and cooperation will play a leading and not replaceable role in the construction of “One Belt and One Road” between China and Arab. Cultural exchanges is helpful in pushing China and Arab’s mutual learning development and laying a solid basis of the construction of “One Belt and One Road”. Cultural exchanges and cooperations are also helpful in improving the international speaking rights and influences of the two countries.

Cai Wu said 2014 is the 10-year anniversary of the launching of China-Arab States Cooperation Forum. In 10 years, the forum has become a platform of friendship and cooperation and obtained fruitful outcomes. In 5th June, 2014, President Xi announced that China and Arab decided to mark 2014 and 2015 as China Arab Friendly Years and planned to hold a series of friendship exchanges in this frame.

In order to develop bilateral cultural cooperation and realize the great strategic goal, Cai Wu proposed to establish bilateral cultural cooperation Joint Committee with Ministry of Culture of member countries. He expressed that Ministry of Culture of the People’s Republic of China will continuously develop “Going to Arabic World” art festival, “Understanding China” bilateral exchanges, photo shooting and exhibition tour between Chinese and Arabic artists, “The Silk Road” series plan for cultural forums, cooperative and training plan in cultural industry, Chinese culture inspection plan by Arabic cultural diplomatists, assisting plan for projects for Sino-Arab cultural exchanging projects and pan for Sino-Arab cultural industry cooperation. It will implement cultural exchanges between China and Arab and try to reach satisfying results and a win-win situation. Cai Wu said that he hopes that China and Arab would actively explore new exchanging and cooperative model and release new methods to open up a new phase and realize the dream of prosperity for the two countries.

Fatimatou said that China and Arabic countries have a profound friendship for a long time. Through The Silk Road, Chinese culture has enriched Arabic culture. “The Silk Road Relationship” is a strategic choice for the two parties and it is beneficial for mutual learning and benefit complementation. The two parties should open the door of exchanges and escalate its relationship to a new height and start new practice of constructive dialogue, trying to become new opportunity and new model of developing cooperative spaces in culture, society, political exchanges in different fields.

Fatimatou expressed that mutual cultural visits among scientific cultural organizations , experience mutual learning, deepening strategic negotiation on the international business, coordinating viewpoints, organizing cultural events between China and Arab, building religious dialogue and bridge of thought dialogue, strengthening people’s understanding of each country will surely lay a solid basis for the construction of the cooperation between China and Arab.

The head of the cultural delegation of the Arabic countries and representative of League of Arab States expressed that they would support and wish to take part in “The Silk Road Economic Belt” and “The Silk Road on the Sea in 21st Century”. The members highly appreciated the China’s efforts in implementing the cooperative initiative, deepening China Arab cooperation and advancing China Arab cultural dialogue. They expected that China and Arab could innovate exchanging methods, expand cooperations, promote direct connections among enterprises in China and Arab and build a cooperative bridge between China and Arab.

This forum has reached agreements with Arab in expanding cultural exchanges and cooperations between China and Arab, building “One Belt and One Road together” and promoting friendship between Chinese people and Arabic people. Besides, through discussion, it has passed “Beijing Declaration by Chinese and Arabic Ministers of Culture” and witnessed signing of the new executive plan of cultural cooperations for China and other 5 countries, including Jordan and Tunisia.