The regional cultural cooperation among Asian countries will become the major theme of the upcoming seventh Asian Art Festival, as it is the historic trend amid economic globalization, said Sun Jiazheng, minister of culture in Foshan on Thursday.

Sun Jiazheng, and Huang Huahua, governor of south China's Guangdong Province on Thursday held a banquet here to extend warm welcome to the participants of the Asian Culture Ministerial Forum and the 7th Asian Arts Festival, which will begin today. 

The participants are cultural officials and artists from 23 Asian countries.

Sun said from the ancient time to now, Asia boasts of brilliant and colorful cultures and civilizations. Different cultures symbolized different countries and nationalities. Participants from the 23 countries will discuss the issues on how to make joint efforts to score new cultural achievements in Asia and will endorse the Foshan Declaration within the following week.

Huang Huahua, governor of Guangdong Province, said participants would have discussions on how to maintain the feature and value of their own culture under the background of economic globalization. The Asian Culture Ministerial Forum and the 7th Asian Arts Festival were also a platform for artists from Asian countries to showcase their artistic talents and the artistic essence of their nations.

(Xinhua News Agency November 11, 2005)