China hosts Belt and Road seminar to boost digital cultural cooperation
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The opening ceremony brought together 32 participants from 8 countries—Armenia, Bulgaria, Egypt, Gambia, Kenya, Fiji, Uruguay, and Jordan—to explore how digital innovation can enhance cultural preservation, exchange, and tourism development across nations.
In his keynote address, Mr. Bai Haitian, Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee of the Central Academy of Culture and Tourism Administration, welcomed the international delegates and emphasized the seminar’s role in promoting mutual learning and sustainable partnerships.
“The world is undergoing profound changes. While countries grow more interconnected, we also face mounting challenges in peace, development, and governance,” Mr. Bai said. “The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), launched by President Xi Jinping in 2013, is China’s solution to building a more inclusive and cooperative global framework.”
Mr. Bai highlighted China’s achievements in cultural cooperation under the BRI, noting that by the end of 2023, the country had signed cultural and tourism agreements with 144 Belt and Road nations. These partnerships have led to the establishment of Chinese cultural centers and tourism offices, and to joint projects such as international theater leagues, art festivals, book fairs, and cultural exchange campaigns including Happy Chinese New Year and Hello, China.
“This seminar is a key platform for sharing China’s experience in integrating culture and tourism through digital innovation,” Mr. Bai added. “We believe in the philosophy that teaching someone to fish is better than giving them a fish. This is about empowering countries to build their own digital cultural capacities.”
Representing the participants, Mr. Fuad Eyad Khasawneh from Jordan expressed gratitude for China’s hospitality and stressed the importance of using digital tools to bridge cultural gaps.
“Digital technology is now essential to preserving culture, sharing knowledge, and promoting understanding among peoples,” he said. “This workshop offers a vital opportunity for us to learn, collaborate, and build strong partnerships that can benefit our communities.”Organized under the foreign aid training program of the China International Development Cooperation Agency, the Central Academy has previously hosted over 200 seminars for more than 6,000 participants, making it a key institution in facilitating China’s international cultural exchange efforts.
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