Strengthening Friendship Between China and Europe, Expanding Talent Cooperation and Exchange

THE history of exchange between China andEurope is long and profound. Since the 16thcentury， European thinkers represented byVoltaire， Bertrand Russell， and Arnold JosephToynbee have taken Chinese philosophy as a valuablecomplement to the European ideological system.China has also absorbed the ideas of European giantssuch as Adam Smith， Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel，and Karl Marx for its transformation and progress.

In recent years， exchanges and interactions betweenthe two sides in various fields have becomeincreasingly close. Last year， China piloted a visa-free"policy for more than 10 European countries. Today，another four countries， Portugal， Greece， Cyprus， andSlovenia， are also included in this policy， facilitatinggreater people-to-people exchanges. During PresidentXi Jinping’s visit to Europe in May this year， hehad strategic communication with several Europeanleaders and they reached a consensus， sending out astrong message of peace， unity， and cooperation.

I would like to take this opportunity to share somethoughts on talent exchange and cooperation betweenChina and Europe.

First， we should promote science and technologyfor good and contribute wisdom to the commonprogress of humanity. Science and technology constitutethe most fundamental driving force for humandevelopment， and science and technology talentsremain the most valuable human resources on ourplanet. Emerging technologies such as artificial intelligencehave given a strong impetus to the world’sdevelopment; but at the same time， they have alsopresented many new challenges in areas such as law，security， and ethics. As important pillars of globalscientific and technological innovation， China andEurope should deepen international cooperation inscience and technology to improve the well-beingof people around the world， strengthen exchangesamong scientists， technicians and entrepreneurs， andshare the results. They should also jointly seize theopportunities brought by new technological developmentand jointly address risks and challenges to contributegolden ideas and more solutions to humandevelopment and progress.

Second， we should strengthen economic and tradecooperation to build up force for sustainable development.In recent years， China-Europe economic andtrade relations have been close， and supply chains，industrial chains， and value chains are deeply integrated.In 2023， the average volume of goods trade"between China and Europe per minute was nearly US$1.5 million， two-way investment stock surpassed US$25 million， and the China-Europe Railway Expressreached 224 cities across 25 countries.

At the same time， “de-risking，” protectionism，and other issues have been testing China-Europeeconomic and trade relations. China-Europe cooperationis an essential element to leverage complementaryadvantages and achieve mutual benefits.But it requires much more than material exchanges.We should strengthen dialogue and consultationin the economic and trade sectors and amongprofessionals in this area. To understand commonconcerns and resolve trade disputes， there is agreater need for mutual trust and consensus， whichwill add new vitality to China-Europe economicand trade cooperation.

Third， we should deepen mutual learning amongcivilizations to consolidate the humanistic foundationsfor building a community of shared future.Culture is a bridge for people to know each otherabout their heart and emotions and can create abond that deepens understanding and trust betweencountries. The enduring friendship between Chinaand Europe needs continuous nurturing in the fieldof culture. Talent exchanges are not only about humanresources， but also about cultures and emotions.As important representatives of human civilizations，China and Europe should strengthen mutual learning"among civilizations and enrich people-to-peopleexchanges， in particular among media outlets andthink tanks， and in the field of education， so that wecan forge a closer bond between our peoples.

In talent exchanges， young people are the mostdynamic force. I would like to particularly emphasizethat we should give more attention and support toyoung talents， support exchanges among internationaland local students， and encourage dialoguesbetween the younger generations in China andEurope.

China International Communications Group（CICG） is a comprehensive international communicationorganization committed to promoting peopleto-people exchanges and mutual learning amongcivilizations. CICG instituted the Orchid Awardsin 2022 and at the inaugural ceremony in 2023， 10international friends were awarded for their remarkablecontributions to mutual learning between Chinaand the rest of the world. We are ready to join handswith like-minded institutions and individuals at thenational and global levels to contribute wisdom andenergy for progress in China-Europe relations.