Paris, France - July 13, 2018 (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
1. Logo of United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
2. United Nations (UN) flag
3. Various of interview of UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay

FILE: Paris, France - Date Unknown (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
4. UNESCO Headquarters
5. Sign reading (English) "UNESCO"
6. Various of national flags of UNESCO members
7. Sign reading (English) "UNESCO"
8. UN flag
9. UNESCO Headquarters

China, which has been committed to multilateralism, is a strategic partner for UNESCO and the China-UNESCO cooperation should be elevated to a higher level, UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay said recently.

Azoulay will make her first official visit to China, from July 16 to 19, as Director-General of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

During an interview to Chinese media ahead of her visit, she told reporters last Friday that the relationship between UNESCO and China is very strong and strategic, and key to the solution for global challenges such as extremism and climate issue, which no country can solve alone.

The world needs concerted solutions, which must go through multilateralism and the mandate of UNESCO, and China is a country who defends multilateralism and supports UNESCO, she said.

Azoulay, a former French culture minister, took office last November as chief of the UN body for a four-year term.

The 46-year-old was the communication and culture advisor of former French president Francois Hollande between 2014 and 2016 before taking over the role of culture minister under the Socialist government in February of 2016.

Audrey Azoulay, who had visited China regularly over the past 10 years, said she is impressed by the country's evolution.

China is, she said, one of the most important countries in terms of recognition of world heritage through UNESCO procedures.

Azoulay said UNESCO and China have fruitful cooperation in different fields, such as the advancement of girls' and women's education, professional training in Africa, etc.

Evoking the Belt and Road Initiative, she said that it is an initiative in which she sees many convergences possible with the missions of UNESCO.

Besides the connection of infrastructures and economic cooperation, the Belt and Road Initiative is also about cultural and education connection and exchanges. The role UNESCO can take, for example, with some projects is to preserve and restore the heritage sites of the countries along the historical trading routes, she added.

Azoulay underlined the pioneering role of China in artificial intelligence and will visit the Artificial Intelligence Institute of the University of Tsinghua during her visit.

UNESCO continues to accompany the evolution of education, science and culture in China, and China accompanies UNESCO to carry the message of education, culture, scientific cooperation, and new technology to the rest of the world, she concluded.