On July 25, 2025, the opening ceremony of the 2025 China-South Asia Youth Leaders Exchange Program was successfully held in Wuhan. The event was co-organized by the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (CPAFFC), the South Asia-China Friendship and Cooperation Organization, and the Hubei Provincial People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries. Sun Xueqing, Secretary-General of CPAFFC; He Lijun, Deputy Secretary-General of the Hubei Provincial Government and Director of the Provincial Advisory Office; Zhang Xiaomei, Director of the Hubei Provincial Foreign Affairs Office and President of the Provincial Friendship Association; Mohamed Rasheed, Chairman of the South Asia-China Friendship and Cooperation Organization and Chairman of the China Maldives Cultural Association; Indrananda Abeysekera, President of the Association for Sri Lanka-China Social and Cultural Cooperation; Sumudu Walakuluge, Cultural Counsellor of the Sri Lankan Embassy in China; Samuel, Cultural Counsellor of the Bangladesh Embassy in China; as well as nearly 100 youth representatives from South Asian countries such as Bangladesh, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, along with Chinese youth representatives from Hubei University and South Asian international students, attended the event.
Guests from China and South Asia commended the traditional friendship and practical cooperation between the two sides. They stressed that both sides have steadfastly followed the path of peaceful development and win-win cooperation, and expressed their readiness to work together to promote the building of an equal and orderly multipolar world and a universally beneficial and inclusive economic globalization, so as to jointly advance the building of a community with a shared future for mankind. It is hoped that young people on both sides work hand in hand to defend peace and security, promote open development, and facilitate mutual learning among civilizations, thereby contributing their youthful energy to the creation of a China-South Asia community with a shared future.
In their remarks, youth representatives from both sides pledged to make the most of this opportunity for in-depth exchanges, to build connections grounded in a deep understanding of and empathy for different civilizations, and to advance cultural understanding and friendship between China and South Asia, injecting youthful energy into the development of China-South Asia relations.
Under the theme "Connect Culture with Youth for a Shared Future", more than 30 young leaders from six South Asian countries, together with Chinese youth representatives from Hubei University, China Three Gorges University, and South Asian international students, will explore the distinctive features of Hubei's traditional culture and gain a deeper understanding of the Hubei chapter in China's journey toward modernization.
