The Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries held an online Youth Salon on April 28 as part of the 11th China-South Asia International Cultural Forum.

At the event, students, teachers and officials from China and South Asian countries shared their opinion on regional development and people-to-people communication in the run-up to China’s Youth Day, which will be celebrated on May 4.

Sugath Rathnayake, a teacher of Sinhalese at the School of Foreign Languages of Yunnan University, said: “The social background of America, Europe, and Africa is quite different from that of Asia. Similarly, even development approaches are different. Therefore, it is difficult to compare the development strategies of those regions with Asia.”

“The people-to-people exchanges between Bangladesh and China are for the people and of the people,” said Mohammad Saiyedul Islam, a doctoral fellow at the School of International Trade and Economics at Jiangxi University of Finance and Economics.

International students paid special attention to mutual learning to build Asia better and highlighted China’s success in alleviating poverty, the Belt and Road Initiative and the aid China has provided to developing countries, especially during this pandemic.

Ambassador of Pakistan to China Moinul Haque called upon the youth to “understand the true meaning of the Asian spirit, play a constructive role beyond the barriers of doubts and misunderstandings and contribute positively for peace, progress and prosperity of the entire region.”

Charge d'affaires of the Sri Lanka Embassy in Beijing, K. K. Yoganaadan, said the world needs more understanding and young people can be “a more appropriate team for dialogue”.

Yoganaadan mentioned that 2022 marks the 65th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Sri Lanka and recalled China’s help to Sri Lanka’s pandemic control measures, including donations from Chinese universities.

Lin Songtian, president of the CPAFFC, stressed that in these tumultuous times, people-to-people contact can play an important role in safeguarding regional peace and prosperity while also exploring the development potential of Asia.

Video clips of performances by students from Yunnan University, including Yunnan’s ethnic-style dance, yoga and kung fu, were played at the meeting.