A year's good plans shall start with spring. This Chinese saying was put into action by China and the European Union on Wednesday, as about 500 Europeans and Chinese attended panel discussions on media, youth, education, trade and culture, in an effort to boost people-to-people understanding.

Visiting State Councilor Liu Yandong and her European counterpart, Androulla Vassiliou, attended the closing ceremony of the forums after they inaugurated the High-Level People-to-People Dialogue and discussed the multiple possibilities for strengthening bilateral relations.

"An ancient Chinese proverb seems appropriate on this April afternoon: A year's good plans shall start with spring," said Vassiliou, who is European commissioner of education, culture, multilingualism and youth.