China will conduct several major cultural exchanges programs with other countries next year, including the Year of Russia in China, the top Chinese cultural official has said.

"We aim to enable the world to know more about a real China -- both the progress and problems through cultural exchange," Minister of Culture Sun Jiazheng was quoted as saying by the People's Daily on Monday.

In addition to the Year of Russia in China, there will be the Arabian arts festival in China during the second ministerial meeting of the Sino-Arab Cooperation Forum, the second arts festival of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization's members, the Year of Italy and the Year of China in Hamburger of Germany and in Rome of Italy, according to Sun

To learn about China, culture is one of the crucial channels since culture reflects a nation's spiritual status, Sun acknowledged.

In 2005, China's cultural exchanges with the outside world have reaped a bumper harvest.

The Year of China in France and the Year of France in China, the Festival of China in the United States, the Tianjin Week of China in Italy and the Festival of China in the Netherlands, have been held and crowned with success this year.

The Year of China in France and the Year of France in China has upgraded political and economic relations between China and France, he said.

After that, many friendly European countries including Russia, Italy, Spain, Germany and Greece made proposals to hold similar cultural festivals in their countries, Sun noted.

The Festival of China in the United States is an unprecedented culture event enhancing mutual understanding of the people of the two countries, he said.

Sun attributed the fever of China in some countries nowadays to China's continuously enhanced comprehensive national strength.

"Today's China is not only a country with long history but also like an energetic young man standing in the world," he said.

The frequent exposure of Chinese culture in the international stages played an irreplaceable role for the outside including the above countries to know more about China, he said.

"Because these countries witnessed China's progress and China's potential market, they began to pay attention to China," he stressed.

France, the United States, Netherlands all take lead in their investment in China.

During exchanges with foreign countries, China's foreign trade developed rapidly too. In 2004, China's trade volume has reached US$1.15 trillion.

"Compared with China's whole foreign trade, foreign trade in cultural industry still lags far behind, especially its export of cultural products," he acknowledged.

Foreign trade of cultural industry has become an important part of international trade. According to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, foreign trade in world cultural industry has risen to US$387.9 billion  from US$95.3 billion in 1980 in the world.

To propel China's cultural industry, the Chinese government has set a number of rules and regulations to spur the export of China's cultural products and services in 2005, he said, adding that more measures and strategies will be followed to enhance China's foreign trade in cultural sectors during China's 11th Five-Year Plan (2006-2010).

More information will also be provided for the foreign trade of cultural industry by the Ministry of Culture and relevant cultural departments next year, the minister said.

(Xinhua News Agency December 20, 2005)