“Economy and culture are deeply linked. Once we have cultural cooperation, trade will follow,” remarked Zoon Ahmed Khan, a Pakistani Research Fellow at Centre for China and Globalization, while participating in the high level dialogue on cultural cooperation under the 2021 China Cultural Trade Development Forum.
Hosted by China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT) and organized by China Association of Trade in Services (CATIS), the 2021 China Cultural Trade Development Forum was held under the 17th International Cultural Industries Fair (ICIF). Themed “New Development Path of Cultural Trade under Dual Circulation Development Pattern”, the forum had dozens of guests exchanging views on cultural trade amid the COVID-19 pandemic, digital transformation of cultural enterprises, and so on.
“For me, culture is the soul of international relations,” Zoon Ahmed Khan said, adding that recently she was lucky to host China-Pakistan Two-way Tourism Promotion Conference which launched the first two-way tourism platform for the iron brothers.
“This would help Pakistani youths and Chinese youths learn from each other. Chinese and Pakistani young people can improve their level of understanding and cooperation by benefiting from Belt and Road Initiative,” she noted.
As for how to promote bilateral trade via cultural cooperation, she suggested that first of all, both countries should invest in cultural elements. Besides, she mentioned that China has a fruitful cultural industry which can benefit more countries. “It doesn’t matter if you’re from Iran or China or Pakistan or any other country. We have shared interests. I think this is the biggest thing that culture can introduce,” she added.
“We are brotherly countries. Pakistanis love Chinese people and vice versa. We’re celebrating 70 years of our diplomatic relation. This is an opportunity for us to increase awareness and for young people to benefit,” she further said.
On the occasion, SCO Secretary General Vladimir Norov pinpointed that SCO stands for the further expansion of the legal framework of SCO countries’ humanitarian cooperation. As he put it at the anniversary meeting of the SCO Council of Heads of State, “a major step towards this will be the approval of the member states’ decisions on cooperation in the protection of cultural heritage landmarks, working with young people, cooperation in the sphere of culture and the arts in general, as well as regulations on the SCO tourism and cultural capital.”
International Cultural Industries Fair, the five-day cultural fair that officially kicked off at Shenzhen International Convention & Exhibition Center in Guangdong, China on September 23, has put a spotlight on demonstrating new achievements in the integrated development of tourism and enhancing the publicity for creative cultural products and tourism commodities from the globe.
