than 10 key Chinese universities participated the event, and the Chinese Higher
Education Exhibition was also concurrently held. The establishment of China-EU
cultural exchange mechanism indicates both sides are willing to take the relation-
ship of cultural cooperation forward and build a dialogue framework covering
education, culture, multi-language and youth, etc.
In 2011–2012, major China-EU cultural exchange events at EU level were the
“2011 China-EU Year of Youth” and the “2012 China-EU Year of Cultural
Dialogue”. During the China-EU Year of Youth activities, both sides jointly hosted
more than 100 programs including the China-EU Week of Youth, the Sustainable
Development Youth Forum and the“Bridge of Volunteers”in China and the EU.
Those programs greatly enhanced mutual understandings and friendship between
Chinese and European youths, expanded consensus and cooperation between
Chinese and European institutions and youth organizations and laid a foundation
for further cooperation between the two sides. In February, 2012, the“China-EU
Year of Cultural Dialogue”event co-organized by the Chinese Ministry of Culture
and the EU Directorate General for Education and Culture was convened in
Brussels, while nearly 300 cooperation programs were carried out with the themes
of literature, art, philosophy, language, sports, press and publication, youth
exchange, tourism, etc., with the participation of 27 EU member states and 22
Chinese provinces and cities including Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong and Macao.
Meanwhile, cultural relations between China and EU member states were taken
forward. China and Belgium signed the 2012 – 2014 Cultural Exchange Execution
Plan between China and the French-Speaking Community of Belgiumand the
2012 – 2015 Cultural Exchange Execution Plan between China and the Dutch-
Speaking Community of Belgiumon February 2, 2012. Mr. Cai Wu, Minister of
the Chinese Ministry of Culture exchanged views with the Culture Secretary of the
French-Speaking Community of Belgium and the Culture Secretary of the
Dutch-Speaking Community of Belgium with respect to the China-Belgium cultural
exchange, the mutual establishment of culture centers, etc. In April, 2012, the
Chinese State Councilor Liu Yandong visited the UK and the EU Headquarters and
launched the China-EU cultural exchange mechanism and the China-UK cultural
exchange mechanism promoting deeper cultural exchanges in education, culture,
youth, etc.
4.4 Achievements and Prospects for China-EU Cultural
Relations
In the period 2003–2012, cultural exchange activities between China and the EU
were more frequent and ultimately became“strategy driven”and institutionalized.
To be“strategy driven”mainly refers to the fact that both sides continuously
improved high-level cultural dialogue mechanisms and took cultural exchanges as
“the third pillar” of the China-EU Strategic Partnership to enhance mutual
100 T. Dewen