Beijing Forum promotes global cooperation

With the theme "Creating a Future for Human Civilization: Trust, Dialogue and Cooperation," this year's Beijing Forum opened in the capital on Friday.

The event, in which leaders and scholars from around the world are participating in person and online, explores the concept of forming an intertwined community of a shared destiny through mutual trust, dialogue and close cooperation, and sheds light on a wide range of pressing issues including climate change, global security and global population patterns.

Peking University President Gong Qihuang noted that since the forum was founded in 2004, it has been successfully held 18 times.

Gong said universities should continue to enhance openness in education and act as a bridge connecting various civilizations; improve the framework for international cooperation on innovation and pool wisdom to tackle common problems facing humanity; seize the opportunities brought by digital and smart technologies; and cultivate innovative talents who can lead on the global stage.

Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif sent a congratulatory letter to the Beijing Forum, in which he highlighted that over the years, the event has "remained a valuable platform for deepening mutual learning and understanding among civilizations of the world" and has become "instrumental in promoting extensive international cooperation and global discourse for world peace, socioeconomic development and civilizational progress".

In a video message sent to the forum, UNESCO Director-General Audre Azoulay said that this year's forum was being held during a critical moment in the organization's international agenda.

She stressed that to address issues perplexing the world such as inflation, poverty, climate change, the COVID-19 pandemic and racism, it is essential for the whole world to "come together again."

"We need dialogue. We need to build trust and understanding. We need this authentic, meaningful dialogue to overcome the problem and forge hope," she said. "We must unite their forces to implement and identify the best solutions to promote dialogue and cooperation."

Paul Alivisatos, president of the University of Chicago, praised the "long-standing friendship" between his university and PKU in his video message.

"Over the years, we have worked together on a huge variety of topics, including medical training initiatives, strengthening and diversifying the field of social work in China, studies of planetary climates, joint courses on organic chemistry and psychiatric genomics, preservation of Chinese tomb art, increasing the global food supply, and the development of liberal arts curricula."

Chey Tae-won, chairman of SK Group, noted in his video message that despite global challenges, this year's forum "demonstrates our combined willingness to take on new challenges to continue our journey of knowledge sharing."

Minister of Education Huai Jinpeng said facing new opportunities and challenges in the new era, the Chinese educational community stands ready to work with countries from all over the world to undertake the mission of creating a better future for humanity through education.