China-India Youth Dialogue Held in Beijing

The China-India Youth Dialogue, an international forum themed on “Together for a Better Future,” was successfully held in Beijing on July 25. Under the guidance of China International Communications Group (CICG), the event was jointly organized by the CICG Center for Europe and Asia (China Pictorial Publications), China International Youth Exchange Center, and Cheena-Bhavana of Visva-Bharati University.

Gao Anming, vice president and editor-in-chief of CICG, Zha Liyou, Chinese Consul General to Kolkata, Avijet Banerjee, professor and head of Cheena-Bhavana of Visva-Bharati University, and Zhang Hua, director of China International Youth Exchange Center, addressed the event. Over 10 Chinese and Indian youth representatives from various fields conducted in-depth exchanges and discussions.

In his speech, Gao Anming pointed out that the Chinese and Indian youth are a majestic force that pushes their respective nation forward and enhance the understanding and friendship between the two countries. The youth of both countries need to actively offer advice and suggestions on national development, ponder over global trends and explore solutions to strengthening cooperation between China and India. He hopes that young people of the two countries will embrace a global vision, pursue their dreams on the global stage, and jointly create a bright future for the world.

Zha Liyou, Chinese Consul General to Kolkata, believes that the current level of youth exchange between China and India is not commensurate with the status of the two major countries. He said that the Chinese Consulate General in Kolkata will continue to actively promote exchanges between Chinese and Indian youth in culture, sports, film and television, and entrepreneurship, and bridge schools of the two countries to enhance cooperation and strengthen mutual understanding.

Avijit Banerjee, professor and head of Cheena-Bhavana of Visva-Bharati University, emphasized that the two ancient civilizations have carried out friendly exchanges in fields like culture and education since ancient times. Guided by the important consensus reached by Chinese and Indian leaders, the two countries should take solid steps to further promote people-to-people and cultural exchanges.

Zhang Hua, director of the China International Youth Exchange Center, pointed out that the youth represent the future of the world as an emerging force to promote state-to-state relations. We should promote China-India youth exchange from strategic and practical perspectives, and guide young people of both countries to listen and observe carefully, think deeply, and communicate with each other extensively, so as to enhance mutual understanding.

In the roundtable discussions, youth representatives from China and India conducted in-depth exchanges on topics such as “Why exchange and mutual learning between Chinese and Indian youth are important” and “How to enhance exchange and mutual learning between them”.

He An, former first secretary of the Chinese Embassy in India and an off-campus supervisor at the Ocean University of China, said that everyone who is committed to promoting cultural exchange between China and India should gather efforts to create a “CHINDIA”.

Kamal Panchal, executive director of the Asia-Pacific Model United Nations Conference and vice president of the India-Pakistan Scout Youth Forum, believes that the future of China and India lies in the youth, and the two sides should organize more activities such as talent exchange and cultural exchange, and strengthen cooperation in key areas such as artificial intelligence and energy alternatives.

Yang Siling, deputy director and researcher of the Institute for South Asian Studies at the Yunnan Academy of Social Sciences, stressed that we should look into future and strengthen youth exchange between China and India. The two sides can rely on sister cities, universities, and the media to enrich and expand youth exchange.

Bikash Kali Das, founder and director of the Xu Fancheng Culture Study Center in India and secretary general of the Pondicherry China-India Friendship Association, said that there are many similarities between Chinese and Indian youth. Youth exchange is one of the keys to build consensus and promote cross-cultural cooperation between the two countries. In the future, China and India should further strengthen youth cooperation in the field of digital technology.

Balaji Balasubramanian, a test design and automation engineer at Volkswagen Group China R&D, said that China and India are populous countries with a high proportion of youth, who are important drivers in achieving the development goals of the two countries.

Nishith Shah, founder and principal of India China Academy in Mumbai, pointed out that China and India are not only populous countries, but also important forces in promoting economic globalization and multi-polarization. The youth are the face and future of a country. Their wisdom, vitality and participation will surely promote the development of China-India relations.

Darshana Dewashi, the winner of the 21st “Chinese Bridge” Chinese Proficiency Competition for Foreign College Students (India) and a graduate from Visva-Bharati University, said that in order to promote the understanding of Chinese culture among Indians, she is prepared to become an envoy for China-India cultural exchange and dedicate to building friendship between the two countries.

Other Chinese and Indian guests, including Du Juan, a young Kathak dancer, Chen Weiwen, counselor and lecturer at the School of Literature, Capital Normal University and an awardee of “Beijing Role Models” for 2018 , Guo Fei, deputy director of the Publicity Department of the Party Committee of Leshan Vocational and Technical College, Zhu Xuan, associate research fellow at the Center for Indian Studies of Shenzhen University, Xu Hui, lecturer at the School of Art and Design at Dalian Polytechnic University and Ph.D. student in drama and film studies at Beijing Normal University, and Maitri Sharma, journalist of the CICG Center for Europe and Asia (China Pictorial Publications), shared their suggestions on strengthening exchange and mutual learning between Chinese and Indian youth based on their personal experiences.

Jiang Yonggang, president of the CICG Center for Europe and Asia (China Pictorial Publications), chaired the forum and delivered a closing speech. He said that the event further enhanced mutual understanding of young people of both countries on each other’s history, culture and social development, accumulating youth power for the development of China-India relations. He hopes that young people of the two countries will continue to strengthen exchange and cooperation, and work together towards a better future.