Romania will host the 6th Cultural Dialogue China / EUNIC meeting which brings together intellectuals, cultural practitioners and cultural policy makers from Europe and China to strengthen cultural cooperation within creative industries and develop people-to-people relations.

On the theme: PUBLIC SPACES – EU and China sharing perspectives, the meeting will be an exploration on the Role and Value of well designed public spaces in Europe and China and how they can contribute to well-­being and community building in cities. The 6th Cultural Dialogue edition will be held 16-18 October 2014 in Bucharest. Read more about the programme and objectives here.

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In separate news, the European Union and China plan to work more closely together in education, culture and youth policy as well as new areas including gender equality and efforts to address violence against women. These are among potential new priority areas for the 'High-Level-People-to-People Dialogue' (HPPD) between the EU and China, which aims to build trust and understanding between the two regions' peoples. Androulla Vassiliou, European Commissioner for Education, Culture, Multilingualism and Youth, met Chinese Vice-Premier Liu Yandong in Beijing on 6 September to take stock of the HPPD's achievements since its launch two years ago. The two leaders also discussed other areas where the EU and China could expand cooperation, including greater participation of Chinese institutions in the U-Multirank university ranking and a new project to promote cultural festivals in China.

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The tradition of organizing Cultural Dialogue China / EUNIC reaches back to the year 2008, when the first meeting took place in Beijing, China. The 2nd and 3rd editions of the Dialogue followed in 2009 and 2010, in Copenhagen and Shanghai respectively. The 4th edition was held in Luxembourg in October 2011 while the 5th Dialogue was held in Xi'an, China.

Although the EU has elaborated an external policy that includes cultural exchange, and actions in the field of culture with China have been implemented, cultural dialogue between the EU and China is still small-scale. While some Members States have developed strong bilateral programmes, the European Union as an entity lacks visibility on the Chinese cultural scene, which is partly explained by the fact that the EU is not a single, integrated country, and this makes the negotiation of reciprocity upon which all cultural exchange with China is based, difficult to achieve. 
 
 EUNIC’s work with China over the last few years, together with increased activity by its members on an individual basis, has been important in building a platform of trust and understanding. Our confidence stems from the fact that a successful 4th and 5th editions of the EUNIC Dialogue series and the upcoming 6th.

Another positive initiative is the launch of the EU-China Cultural Compass by EUNIC China, a well-researched and comprehensive manual to support cultural cooperation between the EU and China, including a range of perspectives from Chinese and European stakeholders. This book is likely to make a major contribution to mutual understanding and facilitate future exchange.