TAIZHOU, China, Nov. 4, 2025 -- This is a report from China.org.cn:

The 2025 Hehe Culture Forum was held Saturday in Tiantai county, Taizhou city, eastern China's Zhejiang province, bringing together over 150 guests from nearly 20 countries across five continents to explore the global relevance of Hehe Culture.

As an essential part of traditional Chinese culture, Hehe Culture embodies profound philosophical values. The first "He" indicates harmony, peace, and balance, while the second "He" indicates convergence, unity, and cooperation.

In his opening address, Chang Bo, president of China International Communications Group (CICG), hailed Hehe Culture as a cornerstone of Chinese civilization, a pursuit of the Chinese nation that emphasizes inclusiveness, tolerance, and harmony in diversity, and a philosophy now deeply integrated into China's modern governance.

Chang elaborated on the profound global significance of Hehe Culture, describing it as a bond for the national spirit, a reflection of the value of China's development path, a convergence of the achievements of Chinese modernization, and a repository of human wisdom for jointly creating a better world.

Chang affirmed CICG's commitment to leveraging the forum as a platform to boost international dialogue and cooperation and enhance the global influence of Hehe Culture.

To vividly illustrate the concept, he shared the success story of durian – a fruit native to Southeast Asia – in the Chinese market, attributing it to mutual respect and the spirit of Hehe. He also cited the robust China-ASEAN partnership, which has seen the two sides remain each other's largest trading partners for five consecutive years, as a testament to the Hehe cultural power in fostering win-win cooperation.

Zhao Cheng, head of the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Zhejiang Provincial Committee, said that Hehe Culture represents both the essence of traditional Chinese culture and a key driver of Zhejiang's development. He emphasized that its principles of inclusiveness and harmony are crucial for international relations and called for mutual learning and practical application across multiple sectors.

Li Zhihui, director general of the Overseas Promotion Bureau of the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee, described Hehe Culture as both fundamental to Chinese cultural identity and universally relevant, and said it is a solution to contemporary global challenges. He stressed the need to move beyond zero-sum approaches and enhance research and global dialogue around the culture.

Shen Mingquan, secretary of the CPC Taizhou Municipal Committee, highlighted Taizhou city's role as a signature site for Hehe Culture, noting how it fuels local development through economic, ecological, and governance initiatives. He said Taizhou is committed to further research and integration of these philosophies to support broader local, national, and global goals.

Thun Vathana, second vice president of the Senate of the Kingdom of Cambodia, said China is a trusted partner with millennia-long ties. He emphasized that strength lies in harmony with diversity, advocated for dialogue over confrontation, and expressed confidence that the Hehe spirit would lead to mutual understanding, peaceful coexistence, and shared prosperity.

Multiple former ambassadors for the promotion of Hehe Culture delivered video congratulations to the forum. Yukio Hatoyama, head of the East Asian Community Institute and former Japanese prime minister, said that Hehe Culture's value lies in transforming differences into cooperation and harmony through dialogue and exchange.

Former UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova highlighted mutual understanding and tolerance through the lens of civilizational diversity, and said cultural understanding and integration are key to prosperous coexistence.

Piet Steel, a member of the Board of Directors of the Special Olympics and a retired Belgian ambassador, explained great virtue sustaining all things from an ethical perspective. He said Hehe Culture is a moral principle based on respect, understanding, and compassion.

Former UN Under-Secretary-General Erik Solheim addressed harmony in diversity from a global governance standpoint, and said that unity requires embracing diversity rather than uniformity.

At the forum, former UN Under-Secretary-General Pino Arlacchi was named a Hehe Culture communication ambassador, and the event also saw the launch of key publications and initiatives, including the debuts of the "Hehe Culture International Communication Report" and a book titled "Hehe Culture in the Eyes of Sinologists."

The forum was jointly organized by the Academy of Contemporary China and World Studies under CICG and Taizhou Municipal People's Government. Launched in 2021 and now in its fifth year, it has become an influential global platform for cultural dialogue.

2025 Hehe Culture Forum held in Taizhou, Zhejiang
http://www.china.org.cn/2025-11/04/content_118159090.shtml