Two decades after China and Greece elevated their bilateral ties to a comprehensive strategic partnership, stakeholders from both nations gathered in southwest China’s Chongqing to celebrate this milestone at the third International Forum on Mutual Learning among Civilizations. The three-day event kicked off on April 16 at Southwest University, hosted by the Center for Chinese and Greek Civilizations, a joint cultural initiative widely referred to as Chinese KELKIP.
In a pre-recorded video address opening the forum, Shahbaz Khan, director and representative of the UNESCO Regional Office for East Asia, praised the center’s longstanding work to advance cross-cultural dialogue, academic exchange, and deeper mutual understanding between the two ancient civilizations. “By bringing together two rich intellectual traditions, the center has created a meaningful platform for reflection and cooperation,” Khan noted, highlighting the global value of people-to-people connectivity between diverse cultural backgrounds.
One of the forum’s most significant announcements was the official launch of the China-Greece University Alliance for Mutual Learning Among Civilizations, a new collaborative network that unites higher education institutions from both countries to expand bilateral educational exchange opportunities. The initiative builds on existing academic ties and creates a structured framework for joint research, student exchange, and knowledge sharing.
The event also marked the public release of two new book series designed to deepen cross-cultural and cross-sector learning between China and Greece. The first collection is the first comprehensive compilation of Greek legal scholarship published in China, filling a longstanding gap in Chinese academic resources on European legal systems. The second series explores the history of medical knowledge exchange along the ancient Silk Road, tracing thousands of years of health-related cooperation between Eurasian civilizations.
Cui Yanqiang, director of Chinese KELKIP, explained that the Greek law series was developed through years of joint work by legal experts and professors from both China and Greece. The Silk Road medical exchange series, meanwhile, was produced in partnership with researchers from Sichuan University. The forum ran from April 14 to 16, with a supplementary event already scheduled: a public salon to celebrate World Greek Language Day will open to attendees this coming Saturday.
This gathering builds on a growing framework of bilateral cultural collaboration between the two nations: Greece established its own parallel KELKIP center in Athens back in 2020, creating a two-way hub for cultural exchange on both sides. As leaders from both sides emphasized during the forum, the 20-year comprehensive strategic partnership has been rooted in mutual respect, and expanding cultural and educational collaboration will remain a core pillar of deepening bilateral ties for years to come.