BEIJING, September 12, 2025 – Dean Dai Yonghong was invited to attend and deliver a keynote speech at the 2025 “Perceiving China · Listening to the World” Forum held in Beijing. He participated in the sub-forum themed “Strengthening Civilizational Exchanges, Mutual Learning, and Promoting Open and Inclusive Development,” where he shared insightful perspectives on the topic.
The forum, themed “High-Quality Cooperation for Global Peace, Stability and Development,” was co-hosted by the International Department of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and Renmin University of China, and organized by the China Center for Contemporary World Studies, the Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies at Renmin University of China, and the Academy of Global Leadership. The opening ceremony featured addresses by Ma Hui, Vice Minister of the International Department and Co-Chair of the Advisory Council of the Belt and Road Initiative Think Tank Cooperation Alliance; Zhang Donggang, Secretary of the Party Committee of Renmin University of China; Adán Chávez Frías, Vice Chairman of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela; Teodor Meleșcanu, former Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Romania; and Ana María Delgado, former President of the Andean Parliament and President of the Peruvian Academy of International Politics. Over 200 political leaders, think tank scholars, and business representatives from 43 countries gathered at the forum to engage in in-depth discussions on the theme.
The participating speakers spoke highly of China’s development achievements and its significant contributions to global development and prosperity. They noted that the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative, the Global Civilization Initiative, and the Global Governance Initiative proposed by President Xi Jinping have promoted and guided international mutually beneficial cooperation across different dimensions, advanced global peace and stability, and injected strong determinacy and positive energy into a turbulent and uncertain world. Additionally, the forum featured events such as the release of outcomes, plenary sessions, and parallel forums. Teodor Meleșcanu and Ana María Delgado were appointed as members of the International Advisory Council of the Belt and Road Initiative Think Tank Cooperation Alliance. Meanwhile, seven foreign think tanks were admitted as member institutions of the Alliance.
Dean Dai Yonghong delivered a speech titled “The Role of Shenzhen Youth in Promoting Mutual Learning Among Civilizations and Enhancing Openness and Inclusivity” at a parallel forum. From three dimensions—the wisdom of civilizations in historical context, the practice of mutual learning amid real-world challenges, and the open future propelled by youth’s mission—he shared his insights with Chinese and international attendees. Dean Dai specifically highlighted that in addressing challenges in civilizational exchange, young students from the College of International Studies and the Institute of Area and International Communication Studies at Shenzhen University have actively explored three practical pathways:
First, “Language + Technology” Barrier-Breaking: By embedding cultural adaptation modules into intelligent translation systems, they ensure that translations of “Shenzhen Stories” are not only accurate but also effectively convey the underlying logic and summarized experiences of development. For example, the College of International Studies is currently training AI models to better achieve this goal.
Second, “Fieldwork + Academia” In-Depth Practice: Young volunteers have gone deep into rural communities across Southeast and South Asian countries to document local acceptance processes of China’s poverty alleviation experience. Based on these insights, they develop tailored poverty reduction solutions informed by China’s experience, providing a solid foundation for policy formulation.
Third, “Youth + Platform” Collaboration: They have planned and organized three editions of the "Greater Bay Cup" Regional and Country Studies Knowledge and Competence Contest, encouraging young students to “use foreign languages to understand the world and help the world understand China.” The 2024 contest attracted 1,531 undergraduate and graduate students from 191 universities across mainland China, Hong Kong, and Macau, with nearly 100,000 viewers tuning in online for the finals.
In closing, Dean Dai emphasized that Shenzhen is a city born of openness—from the "three-day-one-floor" pace of the International Commerce Building to the supercomputing center processing hundreds of millions of data operations per second; from “three supplies and one compensation” processing trade to globally competitive “20+8” industrial clusters, Shenzhen has always embraced the world with an open and inclusive attitude. He expressed his hope that Shenzhen will become a “Chinese window” for mutual learning among world civilizations. He also affirmed that the youth of Shenzhen University will continue to leverage this vibrant environment: Using language to decode civilizations and let the world hear China’s voice;Taking action to practice inclusivity and turning differences into starting points for cooperation; Defining the future through innovation, revitalizing mutual learning among civilizations, and joining hands with friends from around the world to pave a path of openness, inclusiveness, and shared success uniquely shaped by Chinese youth.
First Reviewer: Li Tian
Second Reviewer: Fu Le
Third Reviewer: Dai Yonghong
