The importance of cultural exchanges and people-to-people connections was highlighted at a seminar co-hosted by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and Paris-based National Institute for Oriental Languages and Civilizations, in the French capital on Friday.

More than 100 experts and scholars from major think tanks, universities and research institutes in China and France attended the seminar titled "Exchanges and Mutual Learning Between Chinese and French Civilizations: Review and Outlook".

Topics such as the practice and testimony of civilizational exchanges, retrospections and reflection on mutual learning between civilizations, as well as the role scientific and technological innovation will play in the future of human civilization, were discussed at the event.

Gao Xiang, president of the CASS, said at the opening ceremony that strengthening mutual learning and enriching cultural exchanges between the two countries are an inherent requirement for advancing people-to-people connectivity, consolidating the foundation of mutual trust and deepening partnership, especially as China and France commemorate the 60th anniversary of the establishment of their diplomatic ties.

He stressed the importance of equality, inclusiveness and a consensus of cooperation in the process of exchanges and mutual learning between China and France, and expressed faith that deepening cooperation and exchanges between the two countries will create a strong impetus for the further implementation of the Global Civilization Initiative.

Jean-Francois Huchet, president of the French institute, reviewed the development of academic exchanges between China and France over the past few decades.

He said that his institute has been expanding the scale of Chinese language and culture education, with more China-related subjects in fields such as philosophy, sociology, anthropology and economics being taught, and increasingly more diverse topics being studied.

Huchet added that a younger generation of scholars has shown a strong, persistent interest in China and has been willing to conduct research and gain firsthand knowledge.

According to Nicolas Idier, inspector-general of Chinese language education at the French Ministry of National Education, Youth and Sports, Chinese is the most widely taught non-European language in France, and the fifth most widely taught foreign language in the country.

Idier stressed the importance of foreign language education despite changes in the international situation and certain convenience brought by digital technologies, particularly the development of artificial intelligence.

He expressed hope that by learning foreign languages including Chinese, as well as the cultures embedded, students can have a better understanding of the world's major challenges and the true meaning of sustainable development.

During the seminar, the French editions of eight titles on China's economics, politics, social governance, history and aesthetics were released, as a joint effort of the China Social Sciences Press, attached to the CASS, and French publishing houses including Editions You Feng.