Central and Eastern Europe offers significant potential for the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region to establish international cultural exchanges and foster mutual understanding, effectively contributing to the nation’s strategic diplomatic vision, senior diplomats said on Thursday.
They made the remarks during a seminar titled “Challenges and Opportunities of China’s Diplomacy in the New Era”, organized by the Hong Kong Polytechnic University’s Confucius Institute of Hong Kong, the Research Centre for Chinese History and Culture, and the Mainland Development Office.
Addressing over 200 students and faculty members, Huo Yuzhen, China’s ambassador to the Czech Republic from 2006-10 and Romania from 2011-15, highlighted the deepening cooperation between China and Central and Eastern European countries since the establishment of the “14+1” framework in 2012.
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She said that such cooperation has been fruitful, significantly benefiting people on both sides. She expressed confidence that the scale and quality of cooperation will continue to expand, especially in emerging fields such as green energy, high technology, and artificial intelligence.
She added that diplomacy extends beyond government level, and emphasized Hong Kong’s role in people-to-people diplomatic ties.
Huo said that Hong Kong should utilize its distinctive international position and talent pool to facilitate relations between the nation and the region.
In a report published in November, the Hong Kong Trade and Development Council highlighted the sustained interest of Central and Eastern European countries in promoting Belt and Road Initiative projects and attracting Chinese investments. The highlights included Serbia’s status as one of the 28 founding BRI countries, the participation of high-level delegations from Bulgaria and Hungary in the 2023 Belt and Road Forum in Beijing, and the opening of a $1 billion Chinese-funded highway near Podgorica, the capital of Montenegro, in 2023.
Another speaker, Yue Bin, China’s ambassador to Georgia from 2013-15 and Tajikistan from 2015-18, reflected on the deepening relations between China and Russia, with progress in political mutual trust, integration of interests, and strategic coordination. He said he believes the two nations will sustain a stable and mutually beneficial partnership through economic cooperation, cultural exchanges, and solidarity on international and regional issues.
Yue added that Hong Kong, leveraging its unique position under the “one country, two systems” principle, has the opportunity to share its success story globally, helping enhance the world’s understanding of the nation’s governance and values.
He said that the city’s multilingual environment is beneficial for local students and talent to engage in national diplomacy and make meaningful contributions.
In his opening speech, PolyU Council Chairman Lam Tai-fai echoed the expectation that Hong Kong serves as a bridgehead for advocating bidirectional openness, countering unilateralism and strengthening multilateral cooperation. The city can leverage its international connectivity and openness to help expand the nation’s global partnerships, while fostering mutual understanding between the nation and the rest of the world, he added.
Lam praised China’s peaceful rise as it developed into the world’s second-largest economy. The nation’s diplomatic network has expanded from 10 nations in 1949 to 183 today — a reflection of its commitment to multilateralism and to building a global community with a shared future.
He said PolyU has embedded Chinese history and culture into the curriculum of undergraduate students as mandatory courses, aiming to nurture students with patriotic values and a global perspective and empower young people to safeguard national interests and promote international collaboration.
Bonnie Kwok, a doctoral student in Chinese and bilingual studies, described the seminar as a valuable opportunity to hear from veteran diplomats. She said the event deepened her appreciation of the significance of establishing diplomatic relations amid the ever-changing international landscape and the importance of international cooperation for the general public.
She added that she also learned about the roles and contributions that Hong Kong can make in academic and cultural exchanges, as well as nongovernmental outreach.
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Lyu Xinpeng, a master’s student in aeronautical and aviation engineering, said the event reshaped his understanding of how international collaboration in aviation technology relies on stable diplomatic frameworks.
He added that the two diplomats’ insights enriched his knowledge of communication and cross-cultural exchange skills, which are crucial in any professional field.
Jiao Linna, a master’s student from the Department of English and Communication, said the insights shared by the former ambassadors have inspired her to help promote Chinese culture in European countries in the future.
