The 2nd “Understanding China” Conference to be held in Beijing

    CYOL Beijing, October 19 -- The 2nd “Understanding China” Conference will be held in Beijing on November 1-3. Over 40 former dignitaries, strategists and business leaders from around the world will attend the Conference, discussing development strategies for China’s 13th Five-year Plan and the role of China in global governance.

    The Conference will be convened at the YanqiLake International Conference Center in Beijing, co-sponsored by the CIIDS, CPIFA, Beijing Municipal People's Government and 21st Century Council (Berggruen Institute). The co-sponsors released the above news at the media briefing in Beijing on October 19.

    According to Wu Jianmin, CIIDS Executive Vice Chairman and former Chinese ambassador to France, the Fifth Plenary Session of 18th CPC Central Committee will be convened on October 26-29 to discuss the proposed draft of 13th Five-year Plan shortlisted on the agenda. This Conference is the first high-end international conference following the event that maps China’s layout in the coming next five years, which draws much attention at home and abroad. The specific topics of the Conference are closely related with the 13th Five-year Plan.

    According to reports, the specific topics of the Conference include: the 13th Five-year Plan and China's economic development strategy - whether China can maintain its economic prosperity, Sino-US relations in building the future Asia-Pacific order, 13th Five-year Plan and the rule of law, 13th Five-year Plan and the Belt and Road - China's opening up strategy in the new era, 13th Five-year Plan and the optimization of global governance - creating a multipronged community of interests to seek common development in peace, China's national defense strategy - guarantee on China's peaceful development, 13th Five-year Plan and China’s regional development strategy - important strategic initiatives for a comprehensive well-off society, etc.

    Wu lists some of the foreign guests, including former Mexican President and Chairman of the 21st Century Council Ernesto Zedillo, Chairman of the Berggruen Institute Nicolas Berggruen, former Chilean President Ricardo Lagos, former Brazilian President Fernando Henrique Cardoso, former Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, former Turkish President Abdullah Gul, former Pakistani PM Shaukat Aziz, former Italian PM Mario Monti, former Swedish PM Carl Bildt, former Spanish PM Felipe Gonzalez, former Australian PMs Paul Keating and Kevin Rudd, former Singaporean PM Goh Chok Tong, former Japanese House of Representatives Speaker Yohei Kono, former Russian Deputy PMs Oleg Soskovets and Alexei Kudrin, former US National Security Adviser to President Stephen Hadley, former US Trade Representative Mickey Kantor, former US Treasury Secretary Lawrence Summers, former Chairman of the US Council of Economic Advisers Laura Tyson, Foreign Policy Adviser to Hillary Clinton Jake Sullivan, former Indian Minister of State for External Affairs Shashi Tharoor, former Singaporean Foreign Minister George Yeo, Mayor of Seoul Park Won-soon, the President of the Saudi royal family, Chairman of the House of Saud Foundation Prince Turki bin Abdullah al Saud, Executive Chairman of LinkedIn Reid Hoffman, CEO of JMnet Hong Seok-hyun, professor Francis Fukuyama at Stanford University and professor Kishore Mahbubani at the National University of Singapore.

    The guests will interact with high-level Chinese officials on "Understanding China." Chinese leaders will meet with the chief guests, with one from the State Council delivering a keynote speech.

    Centered on the theme of understanding China, the conference will be a two-day symposium on China's political, economic, diplomatic and defensive issues. The participants and speakers will also include central and local Chinese government officials and think tank scholars.

    It is reported that the first "Understanding China" Conference was held in Beijing in November 2013, attended by 40 former politicians, well-known scholars and business leaders, including former British PM Gordon Brown. Chinese President Xi Jinping met with the delegates and initiated a dialogue. Premier Li Keqiang attended the opening ceremony and delivered a speech entitled China in the Changing World.

    The 21st Century Council is a non-governmental forum co-launched in 2011 by a number of world-renowned statesmen, strategists and entrepreneurs, including American investor Berggruen, former Mexican President Ernesto Zedillo and former German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder. Zheng Bijian, former Executive Vice President of Party School of the Central Committee of CPC, is also a founding member. With the current No.1 mission to enable G20’s action in global governance, the Council has regular get-togethers each year for suggestions to governments on how to improve global governance.