Zheng Bijian Meets Nicolas Bergruen, the Founder of the 21st Century Council

Zheng Bijian, Chairman of CIIDS, met with Nicolas Bergruen and his entourage of the 21st Century Council at Beijing Hotel on the morning of December 16, 2018. The two sides reached consensus on building an all-weather partnership and had in-depth discussions on the direction and key points of bilateral cooperation in the future.

Chairman Zheng said that the fact that "Understanding China" has gradually expanded from conference to book series publishing and documentary release is the first of its kind in China’s think tanks for its innovativeness. He thanked the 21st Century Council for its great contribution to "Understanding China" and looked forward to closer cooperation between the two sides in the future.

Mr. Bergruen praised the positive efforts made by CIIDS for its communication between China and the world, and looked forward to further cooperation in the future.

Nathan, senior advisor of the 21st Century Council, who was also present at the meeting, said it is necessary to strengthen the all-weather partnership in the changing international situation. Dawn Nakagawa, executive vice President of the 21st Century Council, thanked Zheng for his vision of a convergence of interests and a community of shared future. She hopes that the “Understanding China” Conference will advance communications and exchanges between the east and the west.

Li Junru, Vice Chairman of CIIDS, stressed that although the current world environment is complex and changeable, the future development trend will be clear. China shares common interests and values with other countries, which will provide an important guarantee for world peace.

Wang Boyong, Vice Chairman and Secretary General of CIIDS, said that the changing international background highlights the value of cooperation between the two sides. The idea of the convergence of interests and a community of shared future can also be endorsed by the 21st century council, which will promote the all-weather cooperation between the two sides. In addition to the work of "Understanding China" such as conferences, publishing and TV programs, we can make further expansion and innovation around "Understanding the World" in the future.

After the meeting, the two sides jointly attended the launching ceremony of the "Understanding China" book series, the pre-shooting ceremony of the TV series, and the opening speeches by party and state leaders for the third "Understanding China" conference.