The inaugural meeting of the ＂Belt and Road＂ Alliance of Language Education and Cultural Organizations was held in Beijing.

　　On the eve of the opening of the third "Belt and Road" international cooperation summit forum, the inaugural meeting of the "Belt and Road" language education and cultural organization alliance was held in Beijing on October 16. The Alliance is a cross-regional, cross-lingual and open international cooperation mechanism of language and culture initiated by China Daily and jointly established by language, education and cultural organizations at home and abroad.

　　Qu Yingpu (middle), Wang Guangyan (fourth from left), Zhai Dongsheng (fourth from right), Jiang Jianxiang (third from left), Liu Jun (second from left), Svetlana Sannikova (first from left), Daniela Cuccurullo (third from right), Sergio Monteiro (second from right) and Aimen Sheikh (second from right).

　　Qu Yingpu, President and Editor-in-Chief of China Daily; Wang Guangyan, Vice Minister of Education; Zhai Dongsheng, Director of the Belt and Road Construction Promotion Center of the National Development and Reform Commission; Jiang Jianxiang, Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee of Central South University; Liu Jun, President of the City University of Macau; Svetlana Sannikova, Chairman of the Coordination Committee of the Russian English Teachers Association; Daniela Cuccurullo, Chairman of the Italian English Teachers Association; Sergio Monteiro, Chairman of the Brazilian English Teachers Association; and Aimen Shaniko, founder and former chairman of the African English Teachers Association. Zeng Qingkai, editor-in-chief of 21st Century China Daily, presided over the meeting.

　　Qu Yingpu delivered a speech

　　Qu Yingpu pointed out that the national conference on propaganda, ideological and cultural work formally put forward the cultural thought of the supreme leader, which is of fundamental guiding significance for us to carry out the "Belt and Road" language education and cultural exchanges and cooperation. On behalf of the chairman of the "One Belt, One Road" Language Education and Cultural Organization Alliance, he expects all member units to promote civilized exchanges through language exchange and build a bridge to build a "One Belt, One Road" country. Broaden the path of cooperation by opening up education and lay a solid foundation for building the "Belt and Road"; Continue to write the Millennium friendship with youth exchanges, and unite the youthful power of building the "Belt and Road" high-quality development.

　　Speech by Wang Guangyan

　　On behalf of the Ministry of Education, Wang Guangyan warmly congratulated the establishment of the "Belt and Road" Alliance of Language Education and Cultural Organizations. He pointed out that language is the carrier of human civilization and the link to promote cultural exchanges, cultural integration and popular support. The Chairman of the Supreme Leader attaches great importance to the important role of language and culture in people-to-people exchanges and mutual learning of civilizations, and has written and replied to Chinese learners in various countries many times, encouraging them to learn and understand each other’s language and culture, and promoting mutual understanding and friendship between generations. China will further deepen the pragmatic cooperation with the countries building the Belt and Road Initiative, vigorously promote the common values of all mankind, and make new and greater contributions to enhancing people’s mutual understanding and deepening exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations.

　　Speech by Zhai Dongsheng

　　Zhai Dongsheng said that international cooperation in language, education and culture plays a unique and important role in building the "Belt and Road". The "One Belt, One Road" Alliance of Language Education and Cultural Organizations has built a platform for communication between Chinese and foreign language, education and cultural circles, which will surely inject strong new vitality into the high-quality construction of the "Belt and Road". He suggested that the alliance deepen exchanges and cooperation and build a "Belt and Road" public opinion base; Strengthen talent training and provide strong talent support for building the "Belt and Road"; Give play to the role of demonstration and lead, so that the alliance will continue to grow bigger and stronger.

　　The conference issued the Beijing Consensus of the First Board Meeting of the Belt and Road Language Education and Cultural Organization Alliance (hereinafter referred to as the Consensus). The Consensus pointed out that in the past ten years, exchanges and cooperation between language, education and cultural organizations in countries that jointly built the Belt and Road Initiative have flourished, which has promoted the convergence, integration and development of different civilizations. With the opening of the "Belt and Road" new "golden decade", the role of language and culture in promoting people’s communication, civilized development and social progress will become more prominent. The Consensus emphasizes that members of the alliance will take concerted actions to build a language and cultural community, build a language service platform, hold academic activities, carry out academic exchanges, organize teacher training, promote humanities exchanges, and make contributions to promoting the communication and interconnection of the people in the Belt and Road Initiative and building a community of human destiny.

　　The official website of the "Belt and Road" Language Education and Cultural Organization Alliance (https://brlcn.com/) was officially launched on the same day. At present, the website is presented in both Chinese and English, and the relevant information of the alliance will be released in time.

　　The Beijing Consensus was released

　　The first Council of the Alliance consists of nearly 60 language education and cultural organizations from more than 50 countries. China Daily serves as the director unit, and its secretariat is located in 21st Century Newspaper of China Daily. The alliance is committed to working with member units and other partners to strengthen the docking of language education policies among countries that jointly build the "Belt and Road", improve the language education level of various countries, and promote the "Belt and Road" language interoperability; Strengthen cultural and cultural exchanges between China and foreign countries, tell the story of building the "Belt and Road" with high quality, and help the "Belt and Road" construction to be stable and far-reaching.

　　About 150 representatives from the first Council of the Alliance and experts and scholars from Chinese and foreign languages, education and culture attended the conference. After the inaugural meeting, the 2023 Language Education and Culture Forum was held. (End)