2024 Beijing Culture Forum kicks off

The 2024 Beijing Culture Forum kicked off in Beijing on Thursday.

The forum has "Inheritance, Creativity, and Mutual Learning" as its permanent theme, with this year's sub-theme being "Deepening Cultural Exchange to Achieve Common Progress".

The three-day event, which included a main forum, six sub-forums, and 32 seminars and cultural activities, attracted more than 800 domestic and foreign representatives from over 70 countries and regions to exchange views on the development of the cultural sector.

A report on China's cultural exchanges with the world in 2023 was released at Thursday's opening ceremony, showing that in the face of challenges and opportunities, cultural exchanges between China and other countries showed a rapid recovery and a positive trajectory last year.

The opening ceremony also witnessed the release of a list of the top cultural 10 events in 2023 in Beijing, including the return of seven lost stone columns to the old Summer Palace, and the opening of the Chinese archaeology museum.

Speakers at the forum stressed the need to strengthen cultural inheritance and cherish historical and cultural traditions.

They said that countries should promote the prosperity of cultural activities by encouraging artists and inspiring people to create cultural content online.

Speakers also called for efforts to deepen mutual cultural learning and implement the Global Civilization Initiative. 　　 A cultural industry investors' conference will be held for the first time during this year's forum.

2024 Beijing Culture Forum kicks off

China urged the European Union (EU) to be clearly aware of the harm of imposing additional tariffs, as it will not solve any problems, said Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning at a press briefing in Beijing on Friday.

European Council President Charles Michel said on Friday at the ASEAN summit that China must adapt its behavior to solve the escalating trade row with Europe.

When asked to respond to Michel's statements, Mao said that on the economic and trade disputes between China and the EU, China made clear its position more than once.

"The EU needs to see clearly that higher tariffs solve no problem and will only undermine the EU’s business environment, weaken Chinese companies’ confidence in investment and cooperation in Europe, reduce the competitiveness of the EU’s relevant industry, and destabilize global industrial and supply chains. This will backfire and do no one good. We urge the EU to take concrete actions and work with China to find solutions through consultation and avoid further escalation of the trade frictions," she said.

EU needs to see clearly higher tariffs solve no problem: spokeswoman