Guests attend the first China-Serbia Cultural Exchange Forum in Belgrade, Serbia, on April 29, 2024. (Xinhua/Ren Pengfei)

They discussed the development of China-Serbia cultural exchanges, civilization dialogue and new opportunities for people-to-people communications under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). 

About 50 experts, scholars, government and industry representatives from China and Serbia attended the first China-Serbia cultural exchange forum held here this week.

They discussed the development of China-Serbia cultural exchanges, civilization dialogue and new opportunities for people-to-people communications under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

Addressing the opening ceremony, Tang Dasheng, cultural counselor of the Chinese Embassy in Serbia, said that cultural exchanges, an important part in China-Serbia ties, have played a positive role in promoting mutual understanding and friendship between the two peoples.

Tang also said he hopes the forum will act as an opportunity to further leverage the role of experts, scholars, think tanks and universities of the two countries to push bilateral cultural exchanges to a new level.

Danijel Nikolic, assistant secretary general of the government of the Republic of Serbia, said that cultural exchanges can help enhance understanding and promote cooperation.

The forum will further enhance the two countries' iron-clad friendship and lay the foundation for deeper cooperation in the future, he noted.

Both China and Serbia have a long history and splendid civilization, and there is great potential and broad prospect for cooperation in the field of cultural exchanges, said Ma Ligeng, vice president of Capital Normal University of China.

The forum will contribute to enhancing understanding and deepening friendship between the two peoples, Ma added.

Sharing Serbia's experience in participating in the BRI over the past decade, Bojan Lalic, director of the Institute for Belt and Road Studies in Belgrade, said that Serbia and China can strengthen cooperation in such fields as digital economy and green development.

Meanwhile, Li Jiashan, an expert on culture development at Beijing International Studies University, said the two countries' cultural industries have the desire, foundation and space for cooperation, and joint efforts should be made to boost in-depth development of bilateral cultural trade.

The BRI is the best framework to promote Serbia-China cultural exchanges, which can in turn push forward communications in other areas, Violeta Djerkovic from the Network of Cultural Stations of Novi Sad in Serbia also stressed.