Beijing (TDI): The 2024 Understanding China Conference, held in Guangzhou, the capital of South China’s Guangdong Province, is attracting unprecedented international participation.
The three-day event, which began on Monday, is themed “Carry Through the Reform to the End – Chinese Modernization and New Opportunities for World Development.”
Before the conference officially commenced, Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC), met with international delegates in Beijing.
Ding emphasized China’s commitment to modernization through Chinese-style reforms, promising to maintain high-level opening-up policies and share its development opportunities with the global community.
He also highlighted China’s focus on high-quality development and the country’s path of peaceful development, offering stability and certainty to the world.
The conference has drawn around 600 attendees from across the globe, including more than 100 foreign representatives, with delegates from Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions also in attendance.
This marks a record number of foreign participants, far surpassing previous years’ attendance.
Among the international figures, former Ethiopian President Mulatu Teshome and former Belgian Prime Minister Yves Leterme expressed their optimism about China’s development trajectory and their intent to support global efforts in fostering a deeper understanding of the country’s rise.
Also Read: China’s Robotics Prowess Shines at World Conference
Maria João Rodrigues, former Portuguese minister and president of the Foundation for European Progressive Studies, shared her perspective on the growing relationship between China and Europe.
Rodrigues argued that instead of viewing each other as rivals, both should work as global partners to improve global governance.
She praised the conference for addressing how China and Europe can collaborate to tackle global challenges.
Kyle Ferrana, US author of ‘Why the World Needs China: Development, Environmentalism, Conflict Resolution & Common Prosperity”, also shared his insights.
China’s Significant Role in Global Trade Highlighted
Ferrana, who is attending the event, remarked that China is the most consequential country in the world today, noting its significant role in global trade and renewable energy production.
He highlighted the contrast between the severe homelessness crisis in the US and chinese rapid improvement of living conditions, suggesting that China offers a viable alternative to neoliberal capitalism.
The conference is jointly organized by the Chinese Institute for Innovation and Development Strategy (CIIDS), the Chinese People’s Institute of Foreign Affairs, and the People’s Government of Guangdong Province, with the People’s Government of Guangzhou Municipality serving as the host.
