Following on from the 2011 EU-China Year of Youth, this year will see a large number of projects and activities being hosted by EU Member States and the People's Republic of China, with the aim of enhancing cultural relations and cooperation.

As well as the various cultural sectors, these activities will cover other related fields which contribute to mutual understanding and civil society exchanges, in particular education, research and exchanges between intellectuals, multilingualism and youth.

Such thematic years were established as a result of increased policy dialogue on culture - following the 2007 EU-China Joint Declaration to reinforce cooperation in this field - but also, more broadly, policy dialogue on education and training, multilingualism and youth.

In May 2011, the EU and Chinese leaders agreed to extend the scope of this cooperation by establishing the High Level People-to-People Dialogue, a third pillar in the EU-China strategic partnership. In this context, the establishment of the 2012 EU-China Year of Intercultural Dialogue reflects a strong commitment of both parties to continue strengthening opportunities for mutual understanding, sustainable cooperation and long-term policy dialogue development.

An official opening ceremony will take place on 1st February, followed by a launching conference on 2nd February which will gather stakeholders from Member States as well as policymakers, artists, intellectuals and representatives of cultural institutions from China.

The conference will aim at showcasing a variety of cooperation projects, which have been supported by the European Commission, in promotion of mutual understanding between the EU and China.