A Chinese New Year reception was organized by the Ministry of Culture in Beijing February 21, with about 400 foreign cultural officials and guests from international organizations present.

In 2012, the ministry had done much to facilitate cultural exchange with foreign countries, said the cultural minister Cai Wu.

First of all, exchange platforms have been established, including the Cultural Ministers’ Forum of FOFAC, China-US Cultural Forum, China-ASEAN Cultural Forum, in which cultural officials and experts discuss global issues related to cultural cooperation and human development.

Second, a series of cultural events were held overseas, such as the EU-China Year of Intercultural Dialogue and art festivals in Germany, Australia and Turkey. In addition, China has established high-level exchange mechanisms with Russia, the USA, UK and Europe, which aims to help deepen mutual understanding and pave ways for cooperation in the future.

With the relatively robust economic growth, China has become the second largest economy in the world and stepped to build up its soft power overseas. Each year, the ministry will launch aggressive promotional campaigns for Spring Festival, or Chinese New Year, the most important festival in China.

In 2013, the ministry has organized events in 251 cities around the world in a bid to spread Chinese traditions and customs further and wider, said Cai.