She gifts Chinese President Xi a book at French welcome banquet

By Zhao Li 

(ECNS) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan on Monday attended a welcome banquet hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte Macron at the Élysée Palace in Paris. They warmly interacted with representatives from various sectors of France, who were invited to the event.

Attendee Christine Cayol, vice president of Sino-French Cultural Forum, took an online interview with China News Network.

Cayol said she eagerly anticipated meeting President Xi and his wife who had traveled a long way from China.

"I would like to say 'Thank you' to them to come to France, to be so respectful with French friends, to choose France as partner for cultural and economic dialogue, and to be as ever so much respectful to Europe and to France,” she said. 

Christine Cayol (R), vice president of Sino-French Cultural Forum, gifts Chinese President Xi Jinping her book at the dinner banquet hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte Macron at the Élysée Palace in Paris, May 6, 2024. (Photo provided to China News Network)

Cayol has been living in China for over twenty years, dedicating herself to cultural exchange between France and China.

In 2009, she founded the non-profit organization Yishu 8 in Beijing, acting as a bridge for cultural and artistic exchanges between France and China. In 2013, the French government awarded her the Knight of the Legion of Honour, recognizing her contribution to the cultural exchanges between France and China. 

Speaking about her initial motivation for engaging in cultural exchanges, Cayol said she believes art and culture are the best bridge to cultivate and enrich communication. “When appreciating arts, people don’t talk about their differences anymore, rather, it becomes a quieter and more peaceful approach,” she said.  

Christine Cayol (L), vice president of Sino-French Cultural Forum, takes a photo with French President Emmanuel Macron at a welcome banquet hosted by the president and his wife Brigitte Macron, at the Élysée Palace in Paris, May 6, 2024. (Photo provided to China News Network)

“France, just like China, is a country with a very long history and deep civilization,” she said.

Cayol works to bring the two peoples' hearts closer, to let Chinese people understand more about France and vice versa.

“That’s what we are aiming at,” she said. 

In May 2016, former French Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin and Chen Zhu, then vice chairman of the National People's Congress Standing Committee, jointly initiated the first Sino-French Cultural Forum. 

As the vice chairman of the forum, Cayol said it is “something very relevant of the uniqueness of the relationship between China and France.”“We are really doing our best to facilitate the relationship, in an endless, free and continuous way, between Chinese and French,” she added. 

Photo shows the place card for Christine Cayol, vice president of Sino-French Cultural Forum, at a welcome banquet held by French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte Macron at the Élysée Palace in Paris, May 6, 2024. Photo provided to China News Network)

In Cayol's view, over the 60 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations between France and China, the two countries have achieved remarkable results in cultural exchanges. 

She mentioned that in 2020, a French perfume named "Xi'an" showcased the cultural essence of the ancient Chinese city to the world. This collaboration stemmed from the third Sino-French Cultural Forum held in Xi'an, Shaanxi Province in 2018, which allowed more people to gain a deeper understanding of cultural heritage of the ancient city. These vivid and specific examples of cooperation are a microcosm of cultural exchange and mutual learning between two great civilizations. 

Cayol told China News Network that she likes the Chinese song "The Moon Represents My Heart" very much. Despite the land apart, French and Chinese people can appreciate the same moon. Cayol expressed her hope that she would continuously contribute to the deep friendship between the people of France and China, and this is her greatest wish.