Chinese President Xi Jinping has stressed strengthening China's cultural confidence with an "open and inclusive" mind that will unleash the innovation and creativity of all ethnic groups, in a congratulatory letter sent to a forum.

We've prioritized the construction of culture-related work since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC), Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, said in the letter, highlighting the Party's dedication to the construction of socialist cultural prosperity.

In the letter, Xi called for enhanced efforts to shoulder a new cultural mission and provide strong cultural and intellectual strength to build a stronger nation and achieve national rejuvenation.

The Forum on Building up China's Cultural Strength was held on Wednesday afternoon in Shenzhen, south China's Guangdong Province, to promote exchanges between various cultures and civilizations.

Li Shulei, a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and head of the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee, read out Xi's letter and delivered a keynote speech at the forum.

Li urged efforts to study and implement Xi's important instructions. He also called for advancing cultural prosperity and development and promoting exchanges and mutual learning.

Huang Kunming, a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and secretary of the CPC Guangdong Provincial Committee, also attended the forum.

(With input from Xinhua)

(Cover: Tourists take a photo of a tri-colored camel, a glazed pottery piece from the Tang Dynasty (618-907), at a museum in Nanjing, the capital of east China's Jiangsu Province. /CFP)