Scholars and representatives attend the event in Rome on July 2. [Photo/en.people.cn]
Leading scholars and institutional representatives from China and Europe gathered on July 2 in Rome, Italy, for a series of academic events titled "From Shared History to Shared Future: Intercultural Dialogue in China–Europe Relations".
The event was organized by De Gruyter Brill, the Center for Exchanges and Mutual Learning among Civilizations (EMLAC) at Xiamen University (XMU), the School of Public Affairs and Institute of French Studies at Zhejiang University (ZJU), and the Center for International and Strategic Studies (CISS) at Luiss University.
The event also marked the launch of the China-Europe Network for Civilizations Studies (CENCS), the inaugural issue of Intercultural Dialogue, and a new De Gruyter Brill book series, The Maritime Silk Road and Intercultural Exchanges.
Professor Liu Yue, editor-in-chief of Intercultural Dialogue and a faculty member at XMU's College of Foreign Languages and Cultures, opened the event, saying that the journal aims to serve as a long-term platform for academic dialogue and seeks to bring together Chinese and European scholars from diverse disciplines while engaging a broader audience beyond academia.
In the keynote session, renowned sociologist Pino Arlacchi, former under-secretary-general of the United Nations and author of China Explained to the West, said that dialogue among civilizations offers a more constructive framework for understanding contemporary China than ideological confrontation. Reflecting on the role of the state in economic governance, he said China's experience could encourage renewed discussion in Europe on planning, public institutions, and long-term economic strategy.
Following the keynote speeches, Ludovica Lena, executive editor of Intercultural Dialogue, introduced the journal's inaugural issue. She said the open-access publication is dedicated to interdisciplinary research on intercultural exchange in its broadest sense.
A highlight of the event was the official launch of CENCS, an open academic network initiated by more than a dozen Chinese and European scholars, which aims to promote academic mobility, collaborative research, joint publications, conferences, and long-term institutional cooperation among China-Europe partners.
Its founding members include scholars from XMU, ZJU, Sapienza University of Rome, Ca' Foscari University of Venice, the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities, LMU Munich, the University of Gottingen, Kiel University, and other leading European institutions.
