High-ranking cultural officials from 22 African countries and the Organization of African Unity (OAU) and Chinese cultural officials and experts participated in the two-day symposium.

Minister of Culture Sun Jiazheng said that at the great moment when mankind is entering a new century, the representatives from 22 African countries and the OAU happily get together to review and sum up the experiences of cultural exchanges between China and Africa in the past decades, and study and explore new contents and channels for cultural exchanges in the new situation.

This will help propel the all-round development of friendly cooperative relations of the two sides, he said at the opening ceremony.

This symposium is one of the follow-up activities to the China-Africa Cooperation Forum that was held here earlier this month, and a grand event in the history of cultural exchanges between China and Africa, he said.

In the long course of its development, human society has created varied and colorful civilizations, including those of China and Africa. These civilizations have common characteristics as well as differences, but they are the common wealth and a crystallization of the wisdom of mankind, Sun said.

In the world today, characterized by the constant development of political multi-polarization and economic globalization, the Chinese government supports cultural diversification, advocates equal dialogue and mutual exchanges between different civilizations and cultures, opposes discrimination against developing countries, and one-way cultural transition and domination of poor countries by rich countries, and encourages each country to promote human civilization to a new stage of prosperity while developing and enriching its own culture, he said.

Mahamat Doutoum, assistant secretary-general of OAU, said that Africa comes to meet China and its vast population in order to make itself known. It also comes to grow richer with the experience and achievements of the Chinese civilization, both ancient and modern.

Any get-together and exchange between different peoples offers an opportunity for them to know each other better, besides contributing significantly to international peace and security, Doutoum said.

The experience of all the peoples of the world is available to Africa and the continent should be able to freely make use of it. At the same time, Africa makes available to all people its heritage born of genius, creativity, imagination and talent in all spheres of human endeavor, he said.

Chinese Vice-Minister of Culture Meng Xiaosi said, both China and Africa have time-honored histories and traditional culture, and shoulder the sacred duty of revitalizing their national cultures.

China is willing to make joint efforts with African countries to render proper preservation for the survival of the invaluable heritage of each country, said Meng, who is also chairwoman of the organizing committee of the symposium.

Such efforts will breathe new life into each country's fine cultural traditions in a process of constant innovation and give birth to an even more brilliant contemporary culture, she said.

Statistics show that in the past four decades, China and African countries exchanged visits of more than 200 government cultural delegations.

Such cultural projects include culture days, culture weeks, culture months, film weeks and book fairs.

China has signed 62 bilateral cultural agreements with 45 African countries which China has established diplomatic relations. Based on these agreements, hundreds of implementing accords have been signed.

(Xinhua 10/24/2000)