Over 100 representatives from Beijing and St. Petersburg attend the promotional conference held in Beijing on Dec 2. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

An online cloud conference promoting "culture plus" industry exchange and communication between Beijing and St. Petersburg was held in Beijing on Dec 2. Offline venues were set up in Beijing and St. Petersburg, and real-time interaction between the cities was conducted through a live network connection.

The event, a part of the "Experiencing Beijing" series of activities, was hosted by the State-owned Cultural Assets Administration Center (SOCAAC), the Foreign Affairs Office of Beijing Municipality, and St. Petersburg's foreign affairs committee and culture committee.

With the offline participation of more than 100 representatives from the two sides' culture-related departments, associations and enterprises, investment institutions and media agencies, and thousands of online viewers, a slew of key cultural projects and cultural events were promoted at the conference, including the National Base for International Cultural Trade (Beijing), Beijing Design Week, Russian film, artwork and music copyrights, etc.

A representative from the National Base for International Cultural Trade (Beijing) makes a speech at the promotional conference on Dec 2. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

The event is the first time the two sides have carried out in-depth exchanges around the culture industry since the signing of the exchange and cooperation agreement between them in 2009.

St. Petersburg officials and enterprise representatives said that Beijing had launched a series of policies and measures to promote the culture industry's high-quality development. The outstanding achievements made by Beijing's culture industry are remarkable and admirable and can be learned from, the officials added. In the future, St. Petersburg will strengthen friendly exchanges and practical cooperation with Beijing in the culture field.