On December 19th, 2025, the 2025 China-Europe Annual Speech Conference took place in Hall 1 of UNESCO headquarters in Paris.
The theme of the event was “Dialogue Among Civilisations: Envisioning the Future”. Seven Chinese and European thinkers, along with thousands of audience members from around the world, participated in the three-hour intellectual exchange.
The French name of this event was “Lumières croisées,” meaning “converging lights”, representing the beams of thought from different civilisations meeting and intertwining at the conference.
It began with remarks from four key speakers. Zhong Cheng, President of the Europe Times Culture and Media Group, delivered the opening remarks. He insisted on holding this conference in person for on-site exchange, because the more we are online, the more we crave the connection of being in person. In this endeavour, the conference utilised mature multilingual real-time translation technology precisely to break down barriers and allow ideas to confront each other directly.
Yang Xinyu, China’s Permanent Representative to UNESCO, then spoke. She emphasised that on the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the EU, civilisations are enriched by exchanges, and more than ever, there is a need to build strength through dialogue amidst differences – precisely the core spirit of UNESCO.
Fan Yuxuan, CEO of Jin Suo Overseas Business Consulting, likened the relationship between China and Europe to “red wine and tea.” He humorously remarked that differences have become opportunities for co-operation, and openness and inclusiveness are the keys to this.
Finally, Madame Audrey Azoulay, former French Minister of Culture and former Director-General of UNESCO, concluded the opening section with her characteristic composure and depth. Based on her valuable professional experience, she understands better than anyone the significance of holding such a dialogue.
Following the opening section, seven speakers from different backgrounds and fields took the stage in turn. They shared their thoughts and opinions during this dialogue, recounting commonalities that transcend geographical boundaries and resonate deeply with people no matter where they’re from.
The first speaker was Mar Levy, one of the most-read French authors in the world, and the best-selling French novelist in Le Figaro for 12 consecutive years. His speech was titled: “Writing is a journey to the unknown; reading is a return journey to find resonance.”
To be expected from a well-renowned author, his speech was exceptionally well written. He movingly recalled his father’s early reading experiences and the smiles found on the faces of children engrossed in books on school campuses around the world. He said it was his book The Shadow Thief that brought him to China, and that Chinese readers told him they wanted to learn French because of his novels – “the most beautiful reward a writer could hope for.”
The next speaker was renowned Chinese cultural scholar Liang Dong, with his speech titled “Eastern Philosophy and the Starry Sky of the Body”.
He vividly explained the body cosmology of the Yellow Emperor’s Inner Classic: Qi and blood are like the movement of celestial bodies; the Five Elements and Six Qi are the ancients’ cosmic weather forecast; and when the three souls and seven spirits are properly balanced, it’s like connecting to cosmic Wi-Fi. He shared his experience of being forced to “pause” his media career due to gout, but this led him to understand his body’s voice and encounter Traditional Chinese Medicine—a philosophy about “how to live well.”
This was followed by a speech from the Head of the Asian Department and Head of the Chinese Department at the British Museum Jessica Harrison-Hall. She spoke on the topic of “The Expression of Objects: A Dialogue Between Museums and Civilisations.”
Her speech led everyone into a museum, explaining how artefacts like Chinese ceramics are silent ambassadors telling stories of history, technology, and trade. Special exhibitions allow artefacts to speak for ordinary people overlooked by history, such as the lives of 19th-century Chinese women. A restored straw raincoat can connect labourers of the past and present, while a set of Qing Dynasty industry paintings allows the image of a female dentist to transcend time. She said that the work of museums is to transform these traces into bridges that can open new dialogues.
Liu Zhenyun, renowned writer and winner of both the Mao Dun Literature Prize and recipient of the French Order of Arts and Letters, spoke next on the topic: “Let the World Hear Each Other’s Voices.” He spoke about several of his books, humorously recounted anecdotes about them and how they have been translated into more than 30 languages.
Next speaking was Laurent Boillot, President of the French Luxury Goods Federation and Founder & CEO of a skincare brand. He spoke on the topic: “Protecting, Expanding, and Inheriting.”
He shared his initiative, “Hands of Craftsmanship,” a Sino-French artisan exchange program. In that encounter, hands carving, sewing, and chiselling needed no translation; glances and gestures conveyed a tacit understanding before language. He then recounted how to transform ancient Pu’er tea trees from the deep mountains of Yunnan into beauty products that blend Chinese medicinal plant wisdom with French scientific essence. He said that whether it’s an event or a brand, the essence is a bridge of culture, and true luxury is not about distance, but about deep understanding and mutual achievement. His story showed the audience how cultural exchange can so concretely achieve elegant dialogue.
The penultimate speaker was renowned Chinese actor, director, and Vice Chairman of the China Film Association, Huang Bo, with a speech on “Harmony”.
Upon taking the stage, he recounted his childhood in Qingdao and the characters he plays in movies. He said he plays ordinary people, conveying “civilisation with warmth.” This echoed his experience of seeing European audiences at the Venice Film Festival, going from laughter to tears.
The final speaker was Raphael X. Moffett, the Vice Dean of Student Life at Schwarzman College, Tsinghua University. He delivered a speech entitled: “How Educational Exchange Shapes Future Global Leadership.”
Drawing on his experience in higher education in China, he proposed that educational exchanges can achieve five goals: stimulating curiosity, immersive learning, genuine connections between people, fostering global thinking, and creating lifelong bonds. Based on his nearly two decades of professional experience, in the era of globalisation, such in-depth and mutually beneficial exchanges are essential for building a shared future.
To put together such a grand conference, lots of support was necessary. Before the event even began, a small queue had already formed in front of the “Red Flavour Festival” health-themed booth. There, visitors took turns embracing and posing for photos with the red panda mascot.
At the art partner’s booth, flawless porcelain was displayed, with European visitors bending down to appreciate the glaze and shape.
The exclusive aviation partner, China Southern Airlines, offered transportation options for overseas compatriots returning home for the Chinese New Year and for Europeans exploring China.
Throughout the entire event, the smooth communication between guests was a constant – thanks to the iFlytek Dual-Screen Translator 2.0. Equipped with offline large models and powerful noise reduction for professional translation, allowing guests to communicate as if in their native language during on-site business exchanges.
After the speeches, the seven guests joined a roundtable led by the host Tian Chuan. They began a dialogue on “Crossing Cultures, Building a Shared Destiny: The Path to Collaboration for the Future of Humanity.” For the roundtable, a writer, a propagator of traditional Chinese medicine, a museum curator, an entrepreneur, an actor, and an educator sat together—people of diverse backgrounds, yet all sharing a common concern for how humanity can better coexist.
During the dialogue, various metaphors and thoughts all pointed to the same core: finding common ground amidst differences and creating harmony within diversity. Although the roundtable discussion lasted only half an hour, it encapsulated the essence of the entire conference: listening, understanding, and responding.
In an increasingly fragmented world, cross-cultural understanding and the advocacy of a community with a shared future for mankind are not only demands of the new era, but also the foundation for global social stability and cooperation.
This is the message the organiser, Europe Times Culture and Media Group, brought to the conference. Before and after the conference, the invited guests engaged in friendly exchanges, discovering more about past encounters and similarities. Afterwards, the guests unanimously expressed that it was a wonderful encounter and a very meaningful experience. This is perhaps the simplest interpretation of “Lumières croisées”: when the light of ideas converges, it illuminates not only grand questions of civilisation, but also the possibility for every ordinary person to understand each other.
In the winter of 2025, at UNESCO headquarters in Paris, Chinese and European ideas completed a warm encounter. And the echoes of this dialogue will continue to resonate in the hearts of many—until the next convergence of light.
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