南方财经全媒体记者谢鸿州 李依农 杨雨莱 广州报道

Three international conferences taking place in Guangzhou

This week has been way too busy for Guangzhou. Within these few days, three international conferences are taking place in the key hub city of the Greater Bay Area: The 2023 Understanding China Conference, the 2023 Imperial Springs International Forum and the fifth World Media Summit.

The events bring together politicians, officials, experts, foreign diplomats and representatives of international organisations and international journalists to the capital city of Guangdong. These high-level international conferences might not share the themes,  but there are three key words that link them together.

First key word: Modernization

The first is modernization. Chinese path to modernization is highlighted and hailed across the conferences. The country’s pursuit of shared prosperity through a Chinese path to modernization provides a valuable reference to the world.

Martin Jacques (Visiting professor at Tsinghua University): Western argument can always been that there was only one form of modernity and that was Western modernity. Of course this is completely wrong. One of the differences is that whereas Western modernity was a block of the development of other countries, its coronets and so on. Chinese modernity is open to the world.

Danilo Turk (Former President of Slovenia): China has assumed a leading role in global innovation process. Now technology obviously is the key to solutions of many problems of humankind. And innovation creates new opportunities, but it also creates new needs.

Vaira Vike-Freiberga (Former President of Latvia): China is making progress by leaps and volumes here in its technological capabilities. And not only that, it is becoming competitive in the most modern electronic means of communication and of artificial intelligence advances.

Second key word: Cooperation

The second is cooperation. Geopolitical tensions, slowed global trade, growing impacts of climate change… bilateral and multilateral cooperation is needed to resolve these global challenges more than ever.

Peter Jungen (Chairman of Peter Jungen Holding GmbH): In this world, we will not have a situation where we have less globalisation. We will have to work with more globalisation. And that is the only answer to de-risking or non-risking.

And among all the countries, the relationship between China and the United States is the most important bilateral relationship for the peace and prosperity of the world.  The U.S.-China cooperation at different levels is what all guests are calling for.

John Milligan-Whyte (Chairman of the America-China Partnership Foundation): Don’t pay attention to the friction. These two countries have to get along, and even if there's the planes run into each other. If the planes run into each other, the global economy will fall apart. The capital and credit markets will stop operating.

James Stone (Former Chairman of U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission): I want China and the United States to build more bridges to get along better. We can build small bridges in many ways by studying things together, by exchanging students and professors and learning about each other. That's where I try to help. 

Christopher Thomas (Senior Fellow at Brookings Institution): When people can make money together and when I can work with you and I can work with you and you make me successful and I make you successful. That’s when you really build relationship that matters. So we need to have a lot more people to people exchanges and we need to do that at every level.

Third key word: the Greater Bay Area

The third keyword is the Greater Bay Area, where all these conferences are taking place. The reason why global attention is often drawn to this area is pretty obvious. Guangdong’s GDP in 2022 is 1.92 trillion USD, ranking 1st in China for 34 consecutive years, demonstrating strong resilience, great potential, and vibrant vitality.

Additionally, Guangdong Province is a pacesetter of the country's reform and opening up. For decades, it has delivered tremendous wealth and set an example of Chinese modernisation.

Now together with Hong Kong and Macao, Guangdong Province is building a world-class bay area and a world-class city cluster.

Christopher Thomas (Senior Fellow at Brookings Institution): I think it's been one of the most successful areas in China. And a lot of global companies have some R&D here and they're also doing some manufacturing and other things. I think it has a bright future.

Danilo Turk (Former President of Slovenia): I was in Shenzhen just before coming to Imperial Springs International Forum, and it is very interesting to see how ambitious the plans of the development of the Greater Bay Area are. 

Najum Iqbal (Head of Communications for East Asia, ICRC): Generally, what I see there is good development happening. There’s good promotion happening.

Paul Serberstian Amuka Ilado (Head of Content at the Star): I think for me it really is the tech. This is where everything is happening now. You can always find some latest technology around here.

Guangdong is platform for international understanding

It's evident that the area's significance goes beyond economic prowess. The bustling international conferences send a clear message to the world that Guangdong is not merely a stage for economic achievement but also a platform for fostering international cooperation and understanding. 

策划：于晓娜    

监制：施诗

责任编辑：和佳

记者: 谢鸿州 李依农 杨雨莱

制作：李群 蔡于恬

新媒体统筹：丁青云 曾婷芳 赖禧 黄达迅

海外运营监制: 黄燕淑

海外运营内容统筹: 黄子豪 

海外运营编辑：庄欢 吴婉婕 龙李华 张伟韬

出品：南方财经全媒体集团