Both the UK and China understand that cultural power is as important as a strong economy in gaining respect and maintaining influence in the modern world.
British Council Chief Executive, Sir Ciaran Devane addressed the audience at prestigious Chinese academic institution Tsinghua University to explore the United Kingdom's approach to cultural relations in a time of flux globally, and argue that the most effective form of 'soft power' is one that grows out of national culture.
The British Council is highly regarded on the global stage as a thought leader in Cultural Relations. The objective of Ciaran's speech was to stimulate discussion and debate on the importance of cultural relations as the bedrock of UK-China economic and political relations.
He spoke about a shared ambition from UK and China's to increase knowledge exchange, including sharing best practice in educational excellence, institution leadership and pursuit of innovation through research partnerships and a shared ambition to build a more competitive workforce.
He also highlighted the centrality of a strong, global HE sector to economic growth and stability and the British Council's commitment to working with the sector around the world to achieve this.
Carma Elliot CMG OBE, Country Director British Council and Dr. Yang Bin, Vice President and Provost of Tsinghua University attended the talk, together with 150 staff and students from Tsinghua University.
