The 7th China-France Cultural Forum, co-initiated by the Western Returned Scholars Association and the French-based Prospective and Innovation Foundation, kicked off in Changsha on November 3, 2025.

In attendance at the opening ceremony were: Ding Zhongli, vice chairperson of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress and president of the Western Returned Scholars Association; Jean-Pierre Raffarin, former prime minister of France and chairperson of the French-based Prospective and Innovation Foundation; and Shen Xiaoming, secretary of the CPC Hunan Provincial Committee.

(Photo/Tang Jun)

In his speech, Vice Chairperson Ding Zhongli stated that, rooted in the context of our era, the profound dialogue between the Chinese and French civilizations represents a concerted effort to address the questions of "how to safeguard the diversity of civilizations" and "how to continuously advance human civilization." This endeavor is not only a historic responsibility bestowed upon China and France by our times, but also a commitment borne by both civilizations toward the future of humanity. Multicultural coexistence forms the bedrock of sustaining civilization and is also the wellspring of innovation. The vitality of civilization lies in "harmony without uniformity," and human progress cannot be achieved without "treasuring distinct heritages."

Facing the resurgence of unilateralism and the theory of clash of civilizations, China and France should join hands in practicing the concept of "harmony and progress." Through cultural exchanges, both sides can demonstrate the profound view that civilizations become more colorful through interaction and richer through mutual learning. With subtle yet profound power, the two sides can build bridges of mutual understanding between the Chinese and French peoples, injecting enduring and profound momentum into the steady and long-term development of bilateral relations.

Ding expressed the hope that both sides can forge a greater consensus in such areas as the integration of culture and technology and the facilitation of cultural trade, working together to transform cooperative potential into fruitful outcomes that jointly boost the flourishing development of culture and share the dividends of civilizational progress.

Also present were Wu Guiying, member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Hunan Provincial Committee and secretary of the CPC Changsha Municipal Committee; Wang Ning, secretary of the CPC Leading Group of the National Center for the Performing Arts (NCPA) and president of the NCPA; Florent Aydalot, counselor for Cultural and Educational Cooperation at the French Embassy in China; and, Julien Le Lan, consul general of the Consulate General of France in Wuhan.

The theme of this year's forum is "Pluralistic Coexistence and Harmonious Progress — Developing a New Model for Chinese-French Cultural Exchanges." The event features an opening ceremony, keynote speeches, parallel forums, a mayoral roundtable dialogue, and a closing ceremony. The topics covered include such areas as cultural tourism and urban development, artificial intelligence and cultural innovation, arts education and talent exchange, as well as cultural heritage industries and cultural relics conservation. The forum aims to further advance mutual learning and harmonious progress between Chinese and French cultures through coexistence in harmony, elevating Chinese-French cultural exchange to new heights.

This article is from the Hunan Provincial Government www.enghunan.gov.cn.

Translator: Yu Jiangjiang

Chinese source: hunan.gov.cn