2016年CRI New starting point for China-Latin American cultural exchange（在线收听）

The first families of the two countries together attended the closing ceremony of the China-Latin America Year of Cultural Exchange, an exhibition of Chinese cultural relics and a photo exhibit of the history of cultural exchange between China and Latin America.

Addressing the ceremony which marked the closing of the China-Latin America Year of Cultural Exchange, Xi Jinping expressed his hope that the cultures of the two sides could contribute more to enriching cultures on the world map.

The Chinese president spoke highly of the significance of the cultural exchange activities over the past months in boosting bilateral cultural exchange.

"During my visit to Latin America in July 2014, I proposed the initiative to hold the China-Latin America Year of Cultural Exchange and received an enthusiastic response from the governments and people in various Latin American countries. The Tango dancing and Taiji boxing were well coordinated with the melodies of bamboo flutes and pan-pipes. The colorful cultures and arts in China and Latin America will greatly help push forward with bilateral cultural exchange."

The Chinese leader hailed the progress in bilateral cultural exchange that he said shortens the distance between the peoples who share similar experiences of suffering foreign aggression and social turmoil.

The president said he believed the progressive cultural exchange between China and Latin America will also play a role in the development of the world civilization.

"As a Peruvian saying goes: without planning for the future, one could fall behind the times. The fulfillment of our dreams requires not only economic development but also cultural prosperity. The two sides should continue to deepen our cultural exchange and make it a bridge that can help enhance our friendship and contribute to world peace and human development."

For his part, Peruvian President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski (Ku-chinsky) suggested there can be great cooperation potential for both sides to tap into in the area.

"Both the civilizations of China and Peru have spanned thousands of years. I was inspired at the photo exhibition and understand that it is necessary to preserve ancient civilization and history while exploring new ways for cultural exchange in the future. China has done a lot in promoting cultural development and so has Peru. We have a lot of experiences to share with each other and learn from each other which provides huge cooperation potential for us to tap into."

The two leaders agreed the two sides should take advantage of the current historic opportunities to increase the influence of the Chinese and Latin American civilizations worldwide.