Xi calls on China, EU to deepen people-to-people exchange

In a congratulatory letter to a China-EU high-level meeting held on Saturday, Chinese President Xi Jinping called on the two sides to deepen people-to-people exchange to consolidate the foundation for bilateral ties.

The second meeting of China-EU High Level People-to-People Dialogue, co-chaired by Chinese Vice Premier Liu Yandong and European Commissioner for Education, Culture, Multilingualism and Youth Androulla Vassiliou, was held in Beijing.

Xi said in the letter that China-EU people-to-people exchange is crucial for enhancing mutual understanding, promoting social prosperity and strengthening comprehensive strategic partnership for mutual benefit.

He called on the two sides to deepen mutual trust through pushing forward people-to-people exchange so as to lay a broad social foundation for the long-term healthy development of China-EU relationship.

Bilateral exchanges in fields of education, science, technology, culture, media, youth and the newly added women area, are becoming luminous points of China-EU cooperation, according to Xi.

China-EU relationship is one of the most important bilateral relations in the world, the president said, stressing that the High Level People-to-People Dialogue is significant for China and the European Union to build partnerships for peace, growth, reform and civilization.

European Council President Herman Van Rompuy and European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso sent a joint letter of congratulation to the dialogue.

Liu and Vassiliou signed a joint communique after the meeting. They attended a forum of students and scholars of the two sides ahead of the meeting.

The first China-EU High Level People-to-People Dialogue was held in Brussels in April, 2012.