THIS October， the China-Europe TalentForum will convene its sixth session inBeijing. Earlier this year， on March 29， theChina-EU High-Level People-to-PeopleDialogue （HPPD） also held its sixth meeting inthe Chinese capital. They are just two examplesof the many people-to-people exchange activitiesbetween China and Europe over recent years.Inspired by the success of the China-EU Summitand the HPPD， such exchanges have increased innumber and diversity， connecting the two majorcivilizations， bringing their people closer， andpromoting friendly cooperation. They are of greatsignificance not just for China and Europe， butalso for the entire world as well.

History

The HPPD was launched in 2012 as a complementto the China-EU High-Level Strategic Dialogueand the China-EU High-Level Economic and TradeDialogue. Together the three mechanisms serve asmajor pillars supporting the healthy and positivedevelopment of China-EU relations.

Back in October 2003， in response to the EU’spolicy document A Maturing Partnership – SharedInterests and Challenges in EU-China Relations，China released its first policy paper on the EuropeanUnion. This document states that both Chinaand the EU member states have a long history andsplendid culture， and they stand for more culturalexchanges and mutual emulation. It declares thatone of China’s EU policy objectives is to expandChina-EU cultural and people-to-people exchangesunder the principle of mutual emulation， commonprosperity and complementarity， and promote culturalharmony and progress between the East andthe West.

In May 2011， during the visit of then Presidentof the European Council Herman Van Rompuyto China， Chinese and European leaders reacheda consensus on strengthening people-to-peopleexchanges. They agreed that the two sides shouldexpand dialogue and cooperation in areas such asculture， education， scientific research， think tanks，and media. By deepening mutual understanding，mutual learning， and friendship， they would build adistinctive and harmonious partnership.

China-Europe exchanges were especially fruitfulin 2012. In February， the 14th China-EU Summit washeld in Beijing， where a joint press communiquéwas released， saying： “Both sides agreed that deepeningunderstanding and mutual trust between thetwo peoples was vital to the sustained and stabledevelopment of EU-China relations. In this regard，the two sides agreed to establish the EU-China High-Level People-to-People Dialogue and to hold its firstmeeting in the first half of 2012.” This marked a stepforward in creating regular mechanisms for peopleto-people exchanges between China and Europe.

In April of that year， the first meeting of theHPPD was held in Brussels. The participants signeda joint declaration， and agreed to take a number offollow-up actions in the fields of education， culture，research mobility， and youth. In September， the 15thEU-China Summit was held in Brussels. It affirmedthe important role played by the HPPD in advancingEU-China relations. In November， the two sidesreleased a joint declaration on cultural cooperation.

This strong momentum in bilateral exchangescontinued in the following years. In November 2013，China and the EU held their 16th summit， duringwhich the China-EU 2020 Strategic Agenda for Cooperationwas adopted. This document includesa lengthy section on people-to-people exchanges，which is regarded as the third pillar of China-EU relations.In April 2014， China72gVPxOlFhrGcML6S0wc64pmcmxdEgfTwa+hPjc7eOw= released its second policypaper on the European Union， which recognizesthe leading role the HPPD plays in building partnershipsfor peace， growth， reform， and civilization. InSeptember of the same year， the second meetingof the HPPD was convened in Beijing. It listed 25achievements across five areas and included cooperationon women’s affairs into the framework.

In 2015 and 2017， China and the EU held twomore rounds of the HPPD， elevating people-topeopleexchanges between them to a new heightand expanding them to more areas including youthaffairs and sports. Then in 2018， on the occasionof the 15th anniversary of the establishment of thecomprehensive strategic partnership with the EUand the 20th anniversary of the China-EU Summit，China released its third policy paper on the EuropeanUnion， proposing the principle of upholdinginter-civilization dialogue and harmony in diversityto facilitate mutual learning between the Chineseand European civilizations.

People-to-people exchanges between China andEurope have demonstrated a high degree of resilience.After the COVID-19 pandemic erupted， transbordermovement of people was interrupted， andinternational exchanges faced significant obstacles.Under these circumstances China and Europe explorednew modes of communication. In November2020， they held the fifth HPPD meeting virtually，which highly recognized the fruitful outcomes ofpeople-to-people exchanges and their importantrole in deepening China-Europe relations. After thepandemic was put under control and especiallywhen both the China-EU High-Level Strategic Dialogueand the China-EU High-Level Economic andTrade Dialogue moved on with two more meetingseach （2022 and 2023; 2021 and 2023 respectively）， itbecame imperative to resume in-person HPPD.

During her visit to China in April 2023， EuropeanCommission President Ursula von der Leyenexpressed the European side’s desire to restart thethree dialogues with China as soon as possible. InDecember of the same year， while meeting Europeanleaders for the 24th China-EU Summit， PresidentXi Jinping said that China and the EU are two majorforces advancing multipolarity， two major marketsin support of globalization， and two major civilizationschampioning diversity. Amid the increasinglyturbulent international situation， the China-EU relationshiphas strategic significance and implicationsfor global peace， stability and prosperity. The twosides agreed to hold the sixth HPPD offline as soonas possible.

The sixth HPPD opened in Beijing on March 29，2024. Chinese State Councilor Shen Yiqin and IlianaIvanova， European Commissioner for innovation，research， culture， education， and youth， attendedthe meeting. Shen stated that China and the EUshould work within the framework of the highlevel dialogue mechanism to facilitate personnelexchanges， and enhance exchanges and cooperationon education， science and technology， culture，media， sports， youth and women， dynamizing thecomprehensive strategic partnership. During aninterview with the media， Ivanova said that theHPPD had been in operation for 12 years since itsfirst meeting in 2012， and more than three yearshad passed since the fifth meeting in 2020. Despitesome twists and turns in its development over theyears， the European side remains committed toestablishing a trustworthy relationship with China，which is also the goal of this mechanism.

Features

The HPPD has been distinguished for guidancefrom top leadership， rapid progress， broad， multileveledparticipation， and high degree of resilience.

First， from its very inception， leaders of bothChina and the EU have attached great importanceand offered strong support to it， putting it in thebroader context of China-EU relations and internationalrelations.

The Communist Party of China （CPC） CentralCommittee has laid out plans for people-to-peopleexchanges between China and other countries. Forinstance， the report to the 18th CPC National Congress，held in 2012， said， “We will take solid stepsto promote public diplomacy as well as peopleto-people and cultural exchanges.” This is the firsttime cultural and people-to-people exchanges wereincluded in the Party’s top-level strategic planning.The report to the 19th CPC National Congress， heldin 2017， went on to say， “We will strengthen peopleto-people and cultural exchanges with other countries，giving prominence to Chinese culture whilealso drawing on other cultures.”

In its report to the 20th National Congress in2022， the CPC once again stressed： “Building a humancommunity with a shared future is the wayforward for all the world’s peoples … We sincerelycall upon all countries … to promote mutual understandingand forge closer bonds with other peoples;and to respect the diversity of civilizations. Let usallow cultural exchanges to transcend estrangement，mutual learning to transcend clashes， andcoexistence to transcend feelings of superiority.”

Second， over the 12 years from 2012 to 2024， theHPPD has matured and delivered positive outcomes.Under this mechanism， the scope of cooperation isexpanding， the modes of cooperation are improving，and the number of cooperating brands is increasing.

In the field of education， China has establishedover 1，000 partnerships with 33 European countriesand signed agreements on mutual recognition ofdiplomas with dozens of EU member states， includingFrance， Germany， Italy， the Netherlands， andPortugal. China is an active participant in the EU’sErasmus+ program. Many Chinese universitieshave admitted scholars and students funded by theprogram， and the number of Chinese recipients ofErasmus scholarship ranks 11th globally. ConfuciusClasses also play a significant role in promotingeducational exchanges between China and Europe.

In the field of scientific research， China and Europehave established a variety of cooperative projects，such as the China-EU Innovation CooperationDialogue， the China-EU Co-Funding Mechanism（to support joint research and innovation projects），Dragon Cooperation Program， and the China-EUESADialogue on Space Technology Cooperation.Chinese tech companies such as Xiaomi have set upR&D centers in Europe.

Cultural cooperation between China and Europeis thriving too. Starting with the 2012 EU-ChinaYear of Intercultural Dialogue， a variety of exchangeactivities have been held by both sides. Those inthe 2018 EU-China Tourism Year， in particular， significantlyenhanced exchange of visits and mutualunderstanding between their people.

Third， the HPPD is now a well-developed mechanismof expansive coverage， spanning seven areas –education， science and technology， culture， media，sports， youth， and gender equality. Its participantsare also highly diversified.

On the Chinese side， the HPPD is headed by avice premier in charge of culture， education， health，and sports. Its member units include the Ministryof Foreign Affairs， the Ministry of Education， theMinistry of Science and Technology， the Ministry ofCulture and Tourism， the National Radio and TelevisionAdministration， the General Administrationof Sport， the Central Committee of the CommunistYouth League， and the Chinese Mission to the EuropeanUnion.

On the European side， the HPPD is chaired by acommissioner of the European Commission responsiblefor education， culture， linguistic diversity， andyouth. The participating organizations include departmentsand committees of the European Counciland the European Commission.

This broad participation ensures the dialogue’sbroad range of topics and its role as a strong drivingforce for healthy China-EU relations.

Fourth， the HPPD continued in the form ofvideo conference during the COVID-19 years， andpromptly resumed in-person meetings after thepandemic ended. This reflects the interdependenceand convergence between China and Europe.People-to-people exchanges focused on enhancingunderstanding and eliminating prejudices areparticularly valuable at a time when the U.S. suppressionof China has intensified， conflicts grindon between Russia and Ukraine and between Israeland Palestine， and disputes keep flaring up betweenChina and Europe on ideological and trade issues.As Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said at a pressconference in March this year， China and Europe donot have clashes of fundamental interests or geopoliticalstrategic conflicts， and their shared interestson issues far outweigh their differences.

Challenges

Influenced by the broader international situation，people-to-people exchanges between Chinaand Europe currently face multiple challenges.

First， cultural barriers are unlikely to be removedfor the short term. Situated in different continents，China and Europe have disparate natural environmentsand historical traditions， which have shapedtheir distinct cultures， values， and social systems.Although there are no clashes of fundamental interestsor strategic geopolitical conflicts betweenthem， they do not see eye to eye on issues such ashuman rights， religion， and ethnic policies. Suchdisagreement can easily lead to misunderstandingand preconception. The risk is further compoundedby the growing tensions between the U.S. and China.Pursuing bloc confrontation， the U.S. tries to pullits allies into its campaign to contain China’s development，and endeavors to mislead internationalpublic opinion by hyping the narratives of “China’sthreat，” “the rate of growth in China has peaked，”and “China-Russia alignment.” Some Europeanpoliticians， motivated by their own political interests，are publicly leaning toward the U.S. position.This has negatively influenced public perceptionsof China in Europe， discouraging their engagementwith China.

Second， amid the shifting balance of powerbetween the two sides， Europe is becoming increasinglywary of China. For decades， the EU hadoutperformed China in economy and technology，and hence developed a sense of superiority. TodayChina’s economic output has surpassed that of theEU as a whole， and the gap keeps widening. TheEU’s institutional model and claims are challengedinternationally， while China’s global influence continuesto grow， especially among the Global South.All this has soured the EU’s attitude toward China，resulting in higher hostility in its China policies.

In recent years， the EU has defined China as apartner for cooperation， an economic competitor，and also a “systemic rival.” Some EU institutions andleaders advocate for a “de-risking” strategy， framingChina as a rival and risk. These developments havepoisoned the atmosphere of people-to-people exchanges.

Third， certain technical barriers hold back people-to-people exchanges. Due to the impact of theCOVID-19 pandemic， the movement of people betweenthe two sides was severely hindered， and hasyet to return to pre-pandemic levels. The Russia-Ukraine conflict has disrupted multiple internationaltravel routes. Moreover， people-to-peopleexchange and cooperation between China andEurope remain geographically imbalanced， with themajority between China and larger European countrieslike France and Germany. Some countries inCentral and Eastern Europe prioritize their relationswith the U.S. due to geopolitical security concerns，which may negatively impact their exchanges andcooperation with China.

Meanwhile， elections in Europe over recent yearshave heightened political instability in the continent，which is another factor affecting exchangeswith China. During several elections， includingthose of the European Parliament， certain politiciansmanipulated China-related issues for personalgain， abetting anti-China sentiments.

The Future

Promoting deeper and substantive people-topeopleexchanges between China and Europe requireslong-term， systematic endeavors. The importanceof such exchanges determines that the HPPDhas bright prospects.

First， people-to-people exchanges are critical toChina-Europe relations. As Chinese leaders havestressed on many occasions， friendship， derivedfrom close contacts between peoples， holds the keyto sound state-to-state relations. In the face of unprecedentedchanges in the world， both China andEurope feel the need for strategic stability in bilateralrelations and the desire to avoid slipping into anew Cold War.

This is possible only by conducting practical cooperationand building consensus between peoplesof both sides under programs led by the HPPD. Onlythrough continuous exchanges can China and Europedismantle ideological biases and cultural barriers，enhance strategic and political mutual trust，transform their differences into mutual attractionand appreciation， and thereby promote healthy，stable， and sustainable development of bilateral relations.As China continually expands its visa-free policyfor European visitors， it is believed that thecommunicationbarriers and dialogue deficits betweenChina and Europe will gradually be eliminated.

Second， people-to-people exchanges betweenChina and Europe hold global significance. As PresidentXi Jinping pointed out， “China and the EuropeanUnion are two important forces in the world， andChina-EU relations are among the most significantbilateral relationships globally. In the current ageof deepening economic globalization and multipolarity，the China-EU relationship is demonstratinghigher strategic importance and exerting greaterglobal influence.”

As China’s national strength and international influencecontinue to grow， it has both the capabilityand the responsibility to provide Chinese solutionsto global challenges including deficits in peace anddevelopment， and give voice to progressive ideas.China and Europe share extensive common interestsin multiple fields such as multilateralism， internationalgovernance， and peaceful development.They should become partners in promoting globalpeace， cooperation， and progress. This is exactlythe goal of the sixth meeting of the HPPD， whichfocuses on joint efforts to create a greener and moresustainable future.

Third， people-to-people exchanges betweenChina and Europe are significant for civilization.The year 2024 marks the 700th anniversary of MarcoPolo’s death. China and Europe， as two great civilizations，have made numerous contributions to theprogress of human civilization. In his NovissimaSinica （News from China） German philosopherGottfried Wilhelm Leibniz compared China andEurope to two summits of human cultures， and predictedthat strengthened cooperation and culturalexchanges between the East and West would createa perfectly harmonious world.

Civilizations thrive through exchange and mutuallearning. China-Europe relations， under the guidanceof high-level mechanisms including the HPPD，will become a model for seeking common groundwhile reserving differences and enhancing mutualtrust. Together， China and Europe can jointly createa better future for humanity.