Interview: EU to boost people-to-people dialogues with China: senior EU official

The EU and China should work on a daily basis in research to make sure that all actions reflect the latest developments of research and innovation, a senior EU official has told Xinhua.

"Innovation is essential if we want to secure a level of cooperation that is up to date," said Martine Reicherts, director-general of the Directorate General for Education and Culture (DG EAC) of the European Commission.

"I think China is very strong in innovation, and EU can learn from it," said Reicherts, adding more innovation should be applied in the education and culture cooperation between EU and China.

Reicherts made the remarks during the ongoing Europe-China Rectors Seminar in Lisbon, Portugal, bringing together rectors from both European and Chinese universities in the framework of the EU-China high level people-to-people dialogue (HPPD).

"We will continue to foster discussion among academics and higher education professionals through our higher education platforms for cooperation and exchanges," she said.

Specific themes like quality assurance, degree recognition and social inclusion in higher education would be highlighted in the future conferences, according to her.

Reicherts suggested that the EU and China share more experiences in early childhood education.

The EU official praised the achievements of bilateral exchanges between students and scholars, and strengthened cooperation in the cultural field, as well as establishment of the dialogue on gender equality, among many others.

"In the future, we'd like to broaden the scope of HPPD activities, opening them up to sport and strengthening our attention on gender issues, as well as health and tourism," she noted.

"Take sport as an example. China invests a lot in sports and we already have joint initiatives in favor of inclusive sports and physical activity for all, where China is relatively on top," Reicherts said. Endit