China Media Group (CMG) held a cultural exchange event on Monday in Paris to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and France, coinciding with a state visit to the French capital by Chinese President Xi Jinping.
At the event, several premium film and television productions and convergence media works co-created by China and France were released, and CMG signed a memorandum of cooperation with Euronews.
A lineup of Chinese and French dignitaries delivered speeches at the event.
Laurent Fabius, who was the Prime Minister of France and now serves as the president of the French Constitutional Council, said that over the past 60 years, France-China relations have always maintained a good momentum of development, and their people have enhanced mutual understanding and friendship. The two countries have jointly tackled global challenges, becoming the backbone of world peace and development.
As a witness and practitioner of France-China friendly exchanges, Fabius said he has visited China many times and been deeply impressed by China's speed of development and achievements.
He said that CMG has played an important role in promoting the cooperation between France and China in the fields of culture, film and television, tourism, and youth exchanges.
Noting that he participated in the production of a joint documentary on witnessing 60 years of development of the relations between China and France, Fabius said that he hopes to join hands with CMG in further promoting people-to-people and cultural exchanges between the two countries, expanding friendly dialogue, and helping France-China relations to achieve new outcomes.
Jean-Pierre Raffarin, former French Prime Minister and the chair of the Prospective and Innovation Foundation, spoke highly of the CMG's efforts on deepening France-China media cooperation and promoting people-to-people exchanges between the two countries.
He said that since the establishment of diplomatic ties 60 years ago, France and China have always been committed to achieving common development through mutually beneficial cooperation and promoting mutual learning among civilizations through exchanges between equals.
Raffarin said he was glad to see that on the occasion of the 60th anniversary, CMG has held this cultural exchange event and launched a series of quality programs in cooperation with the French media, which will enable the people of the two countries to better know each other’s culture, enhance mutual understanding and deepen friendship through mutual attraction.
Shen Haixiong, CMG president and vice minister of the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China (CPC), said that over the past 60 years, China and France have shaped a sharing spirit of independence, mutual understanding, foresight, and mutual benefit and win-win situation, which has become a model of friendship and cooperation between countries with different historical backgrounds, cultural traditions and levels of development.
In the process of the continuous development of Sino-French bilateral relations, the media, as a bridge of cultural exchanges, plays a role in promoting people-to-people communication and enhancing friendship and mutual trust, he said.
Since the beginning of this year, CMG has launched a series of high-quality co-produced programs, and multimedia products, making significant contribution to the bilateral cooperation and mutual understanding.
Shen noted that CMG will send a team of more than 2,000 people to broadcast and cover the Paris Olympics, building a more solid bridge of knowledge and understanding through the power of sports.
He said CMG will also integrate thought, art and technology to continue making contribution in enhancing the six-decade friendship between China and France together with its French partners.
Other guests also acclaimed CMG's success in creating high-quality audiovisual works that facilitate exchanges and promote mutual understanding of the people of China and France, looking forward to leveraging CMG's strong international communication capabilities to boost cooperation and push France-China relations to a higher level.
A number of premium documentaries and special programs on the Sino-French friendship produced by CMG were launched at the event and will be aired on French media platforms in May.
In addition, CMG and Euronews inked an agreement on further deepening practical cooperation under the theme of the 60th anniversary of the establishment of China-France diplomatic relations, including jointly launching a special program on intangible cultural heritage and expanding collaboration on content production, holding brand activities and resource sharing.
Euronews is a major European media outlet headquartered in France, which was founded in 1993 and reaches 400 million users in more than 160 countries and regions worldwide.
Other activities include an immersive light and shadow exhibition featuring demonstrations of Chinese culture using digital technologies and a multimedia event for showcasing the landscapes and rural development of China and France.
CMG holds celebration in Paris on 60th anniversary of China-France diplomatic ties
