On Cultural Dialogues and Cooperation related to
the Belt and Road Initiative
I. Dynamic Heritage Cooperation along the Belt and Road
For centuries, China and various countries along the Belt and Road have been trading goods and sharing the best of our rich historical and cultural heritage with each other, for cultural cooperation can deepen mutual understanding and friendship, and generate more opportunities to strengthen people-to-people bonds between China and countries along the Belt and Road.
The major accomplishments in the Belt and Road cultural heritage cooperation that Ministry of Culture of China fostered in 2016 included:
1. Intergovernmental and policy cooperation
1) In January, 2016, witnessed by Chinese President Xi Jinping and King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud of Saudi Arabia, the State Administration of Cultural Heritage of China and the Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage signed the Memorandum of Understanding on the Furtherance of Cultural Heritage Exchange and Cooperation.
2) The State Administration of Cultural Heritage of China signed intergovernmental agreements on museum, World Heritage and underwater archaeology cooperation with competent authorities of Greece and Indonesia.
3) Progresses have been made in networking with countries along the Belt and Road, such as Malaysia, Sri Lanka, India, Morocco and Saudi Arabia to jointly nominate the Maritime Silk Road to the UNESCO World Heritage List.
2. Joint Programs
1) With the support of the State Administration of Cultural Heritage of China, Arts Exhibition China presented heritage exhibitions in Qatar, Latvia and Lithuania, such as the well-acclaimed Chinese Treasures exhibition in Qatar.
2) We encouraged cultural institutions, museums and universities to carry out joint programs on archaeology and heritage restoration in Laos, Myanmar, India, Bangladesh, Mongolia, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Iran and Saudi Arabia.
II. Intensified Cultural Industry Cooperation with countries along the Belt and Road
The Ministry of Culture of China put forth three specialized plans to energize cultural industry cooperation, namely, a development plan for “Silk Road Cultural Industry Belt”, a Belt and Road international cooperation program for animation and game industries, and a program to vitalize Belt and Road-related cultural industry and heritage sectors.
First, as an effort to build a “Silk Road Cultural Industry Belt”, we will encourage Chinese cultural companies to expand their outreach to other parts of China and abroad, develop cultural tourism, build production and trade bases for representative and locally inspired cultural products, and make full use of information, service and financing platforms to support key programs of Silk Road-related cultural industry. Backed by a sustainable mechanism to bolster consumer passion for cultural content that we are building, we will encourage Chinese citizens to spend more on cultural content, especially those who live in cities around Belt and Road routes.
Secondly, we will put animation and games at the forefront of cultural industry cooperation between China and countries along the Belt and Road in accordance with the Ministry’s Belt and Road international cooperation program for animation and game industries. One accomplishment worth mentioning is Kong Xiaoxi and Hakim, an animated TV series co-produced by China and Saudi Arabia, which made its premiere on SBC1 (Saudi Broadcasting Corporation) on February 22, 2017 as the first ever animated show with Chinese input to be released in Saudi Arabia. It tells the stories of friendship between children from China and Saudi Arabia, featuring various Chinese cultural elements such as cuisine, couture and Kongfu. The copyright of this show has also been transferred to the distributers from 22 other Arabic-speaking countries.
Thirdly, we have launched a program to spur Belt and Road-related cultural industry and heritage sectors, and advanced related projects such as “Internet Plus Chinese Civilization” and “Cultural Heritage of China”. We also advocate the interflow of heritage resources, new technologies and creative talents between China and the world.
III. Booming cultural trade between China and countries along the Belt and Road
Cultural trade is a vital part of China’s international cultural exchange and cooperation, as we boast abundant creativity and products with the potential generate remarkable business values in international markets. To put into practice the mandates of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council of China on building new systems for developing an open economy, the Ministry of Culture of China will provide guidance to cultural companies and boost cultural trade, and promote cultural trade cooperation with countries along the Belt and Road in the following aspects:
1. Acting in the capacity of a government organ, we will create more favorable conditions and expand international channels for cultural trade by building more bilateral and multilateral cultural trade mechanisms with other governments, and actively participating in making international cultural trade rules. We will also provide guidance to the exchange and cooperation across Chinese and foreign businesses and enterprises to foster international vision in the development and management of our companies. The publicly-accessible services for cultural trade sectors will be guaranteed as well as we continue to develop optimized roadmaps for cultural trade with a holistic approach, promote information sharing across the industry, integrate major projects and produce substantial analysis on trade-related statistics. A supporting system for core areas of our cultural trade will be strengthened and enriched, encompassing academic research, brand strategy, legal aid, information service, investment and financing, and cloud service, etc., all of which will be open to public use. In addition, we will attach special importance to digital content and cultural equipments and devices in our efforts in promoting personnel exchange and capacity building between China and countries along the Belt and Road to boost our cultural trade.
2. The Ministry of Culture of China will continue to give full play to the conducive role of the three National Bases for International Cultural Trade in Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen in broadening cooperation platforms and channels between China and countries along the Belt and Road, as these Bases are pilots and forerunners that explore new paths for China’s international cultural trade. For example, we supported the Shanghai Base to present cultural device roadshows which toured around countries along the Belt and Road, and organize a joint training program for “Belt and Road” creative talents in cartoon, animation and game industries; and supported the Shenzhen Base to organize prestigious companies in the fields of cartoon, animation and game, new media, and cultural equipments and devices as well as investors to visit countries along the Belt and Road for business docking and networking.
3. Flagship cultural events, major Expos and fairs offer excellent opportunities for cultural trade between China and other countries, especially in recent years. China Arts and Entertainment Group, for instance, presented a roadshow of China’s outstanding creative and licensing products in China Cultural Center in Moscow. The Shenzhen Shenzhen International Cultural Industry Fair also set up a special pavilion for countries along the Belt and Road, and in 2017, it will host companies from 35 countries and regions including Hungary, Israel, Egypt, India, Iran, Thailand, Singapore, Turkey, Malaysia and Pakistan.