Hong Kong is “one of the main priorities” in Sino-French relations, a top official from the European nation has said, while highlighting the role cultural diplomacy can play in a tense geopolitical climate.
Eva Nguyen Binh, the ambassador for French cultural diplomacy, also said she aimed to elevate cultural ties with China, even as robust efforts were already under way this year to commemorate the 60th anniversary of Sino-French diplomatic relations.
“Even if the geopolitical context is not so easy worldwide, [and] even if economic and trade discussions are not so easy, I think it is important, culturally speaking, to keep the links,” Nguyen Binh told the Post in an exclusive interview on Thursday.
The European Union and Beijing have recently been embroiled in tit-for-tat trade measures over Chinese-made electric vehicles, European brandy – primarily French cognac – and reported disputes over France’s nuclear-powered aircraft carrier.
“China discussions may not be easy and there are always some not-easy topics in one’s relations,” Nguyen Binh said. “Culture is a positive communication channel. Otherwise, I don’t know if we have any other topics of positive communication. I’m sure if we look for them, we will find them.”
Nguyen Binh also holds the position of president of the Institut Francais, which is responsible for promoting French culture abroad and operates under the country’s ministries of foreign affairs and culture.
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