Cultural collaboration and people-to-people exchanges greatly enhance understanding among the five BRICS countries while improving their economic relationships and citizens' quality of life.
That was the consensus of government officials, think tank experts and professionals at the BRICS Culture and People Exchange Forum in Brasilia on Wednesday.
The daylong forum, attended by more than 200 people, was organized by the State Council Information Office and the China International Publishing Group.
Brazilian Social Democracy Party President Bruno Araujo, Federal Deputy of the Brazilian National Congress Fausto Pinato and other prominent BRICS guests attended.
The success of past cultural and people-to-people exchanges was reviewed, and new ideas were proposed to further strengthen such exchanges. Mutual learning was also emphasized.
Zhao Jianguo, head of the international communication bureau of the State Council Information Office, said the five BRICS countries each have their own unique charm, history, wisdom and pursuits, but are also very inclusive. That provides a solid foundation for collaboration, Zhao said.
Zhao called for BRICS countries to conduct more exchanges, utilize traditional wisdom and innovation to solve development challenges and collaborate more in a wide range of fields to build the BRICS community.
Araujo said President Xi Jinping is a trailblazer for people and cultural exchanges among BRICS members. The five countries have their own advantages in culture, science and education to share for a better future.
Pinato said China is an important economic and cultural partner for Brazil. With China's leadership, the exchange of culture and people has extended beyond the BRICS nations.
Srikanth Kondapalli, chairman of the Center for East Asian Studies at India's Jawaharlal Nehru University, said that public opinion has been traditionally dominated by Western countries, and there is a need for BRICS countries to establish their own polls and surveys.
Five directors from BRICS countries were each invited to make a film about youth soccer. The series, Kids and Glory, featured documentaries that took more than a year to produce. The five directors discussed their creative ideas and experiences in making the production.
Chinese director Lu Chuan acted as the general director for the series. He said that documentaries are a powerful way to record human history. In the process of filmmaking, he was touched by the other directors' talent and humanity.
