Vice-Premier Liu Yandong today met former French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin and former Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern.

The pair will attend the third Annual Conference of Taihu World Cultural Forum from June 18 to 19 in Shanghai.

Liu said it is conducive to increasing mutual understanding and trust among nations to enhance cultural exchanges and strengthen soft power interaction, which are also the needs for world peace and development.

China is willing to conduct extensive communication with foreign countries to deepen mutual understanding in culture and society, so as to achieve common development, she said.

Themed with “Strengthening Cultural Soft Power Interaction, Promoting World Peace and Development”, the conference will be attended by nearly 500 guests including politicians, famous scholars, leaders of enterprises and media professionals from home and abroad.

The conference will mainly focus on topics of “Developing New Type of Great Power Relationship between China and U.S. through Cultural Soft Power Interaction”, “Developing Friendly Relationship between China and Foreign Countries through Cultural Soft Power Interaction”, “Accelerating Innovation of Creative Industry to Enhance Cultural Soft Power of Countries.”