PARIS — State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi and French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian called for stronger people-to-people exchanges between the two countries on Oct 21.

At the fifth meeting of the China-France High-level Mechanism for Dialogue on People-to-People Exchanges, co-chaired by the two diplomats, Wang said that President Xi Jinping paid a successful state visit to France in March, opening a new chapter of Sino-French relations.

Xi and French President Emmanuel Macron, from a strategic height and with a long-term vision, attach great importance to and push forward people-to-people exchanges, and they both noted that the China-France High-level Mechanism for Dialogue on People-to-People Exchanges should fully play its planning and coordinating role, Wang said.

Wang noted that the two sides should implement the important consensuses and instructions of the two heads of state, ensure the good functioning of the mechanism, explore unique cultural advantages of the two countries, and further strengthen the social foundation and public support, so as to forge a more solid, stable and energetic China-France comprehensive strategic partnership.

He called on China and France to boost mutual learning between civilizations, and set a model of harmonious coexistence and win-win cooperation between different civilizations.

The two countries should focus on future cooperation, comprehensively deepen the cultivation of high-level talents, enlarge the scale of two-way student exchanges, and elevate the level of cooperative education.

The two countries should strengthen project guidance, pool resources to focus on promising projects, seize opportunities in Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics and Paris 2024 Summer Olympics, and enhance event organization capability and sports cooperation.

Wang also suggested broadening civil participation, saying the two sides should not only ensure that main channels in governmental cooperation are kept free, but also develop more platforms for non-governmental exchanges, and actively promote exchanges and cooperation among youths and women.

For his part, Le Drian said the China-France High-level Mechanism for Dialogue on People-to-People Exchanges has become a crucial part of Sino-French relations, and has made remarkable achievements.

France is willing to deepen people-to-people exchanges in a spirit of openness and mutual respect, and push for more fruitful results, so as to better benefit the two peoples and promote dialogue and mutual learning among civilizations, Le Drian said.

He said France hopes to jointly host a culture and tourism year in 2021 with China to boost exchanges and cooperation in the fields of sports, education, youth, women, and others.

Officials of the two countries' related departments attended the meeting, combing the results of cooperative projects in education, science and technology, culture and tourism, and sports as well as major projects in the next phase. They signed a series of cooperation documents.