Orchid Awards Lifetime Honorary Award recipient Irina Bokova visits CICG

Chang Bo, president of China International Communications Group (CICG), met with Irina Bokova, Lifetime Honorary Award recipient of the second Orchid Awards and former director-general of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), in Beijing on Tuesday. Li Yafang, deputy editor-in-chief of CICG and president of the Academy of Contemporary China and World Studies, also attended the meeting.

Chang Bo, president of China International Communications Group (CICG), speaks during a meeting in Beijing, Nov. 3, 2026. [Photo/CICG]

Chang welcomed Bokova and her delegation to CICG and expressed appreciation for her long-standing commitment to promoting people-to-people and cultural exchanges and cooperation between China and the rest of the world and to enhancing the international community's understanding of Chinese civilization.

Chang briefed the delegation on the fifth plenary session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC). He noted that the session had made systematic arrangements for persevering with full and rigorous Party self-governance, which is of great significance for building a great country and advancing national rejuvenation on all fronts through Chinese modernization.

Chang said that Bokova had played an important role in enhancing the international influence of the Orchid Awards, while her role as a Hehe Culture ambassador— also an initiative promoted by CICG— helped strengthen the international communication of Hehe Culture.

He expressed the hope that Bokova would continue to exert her international influence, carry forward the Hehe spirit, participate in CICG's international people-to-people and cultural exchange events, and strengthen practical cooperation on deepening exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations, thereby contributing to building a community with a shared future for humanity.

Irina Bokova, Lifetime Honorary Award recipient of the second Orchid Awards and former director-general of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, speaks during a meeting in Beijing on Nov. 3, 2026. [Photo/CICG]

Bokova extended her congratulations on the successful convening of the fifth plenary session of the 20th CPC Central Committee, noting that China has made remarkable achievements in promoting exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations guided by the four major global initiatives it proposed.

Bokova said CICG has made enduring efforts in promoting Chinese culture internationally and in advancing exchanges and mutual learning between Chinese and other civilizations. She also spoke highly of the important role the Orchid Awards play in promoting cultural exchanges, and said she stands ready to serve as a communicator for the Orchid Awards and Hehe Culture, to strengthen cooperation with CICG, and to leverage the Orchid Awards as a platform for promoting exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations and deepening global dialogue and cultural cooperation.

Representatives of China International Communications Group (CICG) and Irina Bokova's delegation hold talks in Beijing, Nov. 3, 2026. [Photo/CICG]

Representatives of China International Communications Group (CICG) and Irina Bokova's delegation take a group photo in Beijing, Nov. 3, 2026. [Photo/CICG]