China Today Arts Week: China-Panama High-level Culture Forum held in Panama

China-Panama High-level Culture Forum was held in Panama

On September 10, 2019, as one of the activities of China Today Arts Week in Latin America, China-Panama High-level Culture Forum, co-hosted by China Federation of Literary and Art Circles (CFLAC) and Chinese Embassy in Panama, was held in Latin American Parliament Mansion in Panama City. About 650 people attended this forum, including Mr. Castillo, President of the Latin American Parliament, Mr. Carlos Aguilar, Minister of Culture of Panama, Mr. Gabriel Gonzalez, Vice Minister of Culture of Panama, other Panamanian government officials, members of parliament, think tanks, culture and arts celebrities, entrepreneurs, media executives, university leaders, university and secondary school students, etc.

With the theme of "Facilitating Cultural Cooperation, Promoting China-Panama People-to-People Exchanges", this forum aims at developing a platform of deep communication for the literature and art circles both in China and Panama, building a bridge to bring the two people's hearts closer for better understanding and positively contributing to China-Panama relations as well as to laying a solid foundation for the Belt and Road cooperation.

On the forum, Vice Minister Gonzalez and Mr. Wei Qiang, Chinese Ambassador to Panama delivered speeches respectively. Mr. Li Yi, Secretary of CFLAC Party Leadership Group and Vice Chairman of CFLAC delivered the keynote speeches, and Minister Aguilar made the concluding remarks.

Li Yi, Secretary of CFLAC Party Leadership Group and Vice Chairman of CFLAC was delivering the keynote speech

Li Yi quoted, "The superior man on literary grounds meets with his friend". The key that can most easily open the door to people's hearts is definitely culture. Exchanges and mutual learning among civilization is an important driving force for human progress as well as world peace and development. As a bridge connecting North and South America and a bond between two oceans, Panama is a place where diverse cultures meet and integrate with one another. With both profound cultural traditions and strong modern atmosphere, Panama boasts culture landscape of unique charm. Though separated by a great distance with different civilizations and cultures, as long as the two countries adhere to the belief of mutual respect, openness, inclusiveness and mutual learning, the power of culture can transcend time, space and national boundaries and touch people's heart. In this way, culture can play a bigger role in China-Panama friendship and the Belt and Road cooperation. It can also promote common development and prosperity of the two countries and make positive contribution to human civilization advancement. CFLAC is ready to work with all circles in Panama to showcase and spread the beauty of the two civilizations through various forms of exchange platforms, so that the two peoples can feel each other's charm through cultural exchanges and interactions, which can add rich contents, lay a solid foundation and bring a bright future for the development of China-Panama bilateral relations.

In his speech, Gonzales expressed the hope to enhance the cultural exchanges and cooperation between the two sides. To this end, the Panamanian government is willing to facilitate and create space for bilateral cultural exchanges. Ambassador Wei Qiang spoke highly of the role of cultural communication and cooperation in advancing the bilateral relationship since the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Panama two years ago. Wei remarked that on the eve of the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, Secretary and Vice Chairman Li Yi led a delegation to visit Panama and conducted in-depth exchanges with Panama's culture circle, which will no doubt boost the profound cultural and people-to-people exchanges as well as the bilateral relations between the two countries.

Later, guests from China and Panama held three dialogues on the themes of "Cultural Exchange and Communication", "Film and Literature" and "Painting and Sculpture Appreciation", etc. The in-depth exchanges of ideas between the guests opened the door to mutual understanding between the cultural and art circles of China and Panama.

Carlos Aguilar, Minister of Culture of Panama was making the concluding remarks

In the end, Minister Aguilar said in the concluding remarks that Panama was honored to be one of the three destinations of China Today Arts Week in Latin America and proud of being the only one among the three to hold cultural high-level forum. Aguilar expressed his heartfelt thanks to China for choosing Panama. Aguilar hoped that the two sides could jointly implement the outcomes of the forum, sign the agreements about cultural exchange and cooperation, and promote cultural development through more cooperation and communication.

After the forum, the guests also visited Chinese Television Image Film Exhibition, China Contemporary Print Art Exhibition and Chinese Pavilion of the Latin American parliament, which are all activities of China Today Arts Week in Latin America.

China Today Arts Week is an annual brand activity held abroad by CFLAC to demonstrate the development and achievements of contemporary Chinese culture and art. Since its inception in 2004, the Arts Week has been held in different countries every year. In addition to Panama, this year's Arts Week in Latin America also held Chinese Film Exhibition in Cuba and "Art and Peace" - China Contemporary Art Exhibition in Mexico, etc.