Closing Ceremony of the 2020 Taihe Civilizations Forum

 

On September 12, the 2020 Taihe Civilizations Forum, delivered online, came to a successful conclusion. During the seven-day forum, more than 130 leading experts and scholars from China’s mainland and Taiwan region, the U.S., Russia, the UK, Japan, Germany, Australia, New Zealand, Tajikistan, and other countries and regions participated in the four Sub-sessions of: International Relations, Education and Culture, Advanced Technology, and Youth Dialogue, with participants totally more than 400. Though participants from different fields have different positions and opinions, they have increased mutual understanding through listening and explaining, which is fully consistent with the philosophy of Taihe Institute: harmony in diversity.

 

It is in the fundamental interests of both China and the U.S., and especially so given current world events, that China-U.S. relations return to a normal footing as soon as practicable. In the Sub-session on International Relations, participants discussed under the theme of “China-U.S. Relations and the Impacts on the World” and six consensuses were reached. First, China-U.S. relations, as the most important bilateral relationship in the world, are critical to the well-being of the two countries and the rest of the world and would affect global peace and stability. Second, conflicts between China and the U.S. are disasters for both countries and the entire world. Therefore, measures must be taken to prevent this dangerous situation from arising and bring China-U.S. relations back to a healthy, stable, and mutually beneficial trajectory. Third, China and the U.S. should tackle their problems through dialogue. Conducting dialogue is a wise choice for resolving differences, a proper way to establish mutual trust, and the optimal method for reducing misjudgment. Without dialogue, no problems can be solved. Fourth, both China and the U.S. need to take action, control differences, and handle divergences reasonably, instead of creating or exacerbating differences themselves. China-U.S. relations need to adhere to a non-confrontational approach, conducted in a controlled manner. Fifth, China and the U.S. should cooperate more, especially in the battle against the COVID-19 pandemic, and promote economic recovery in the post-pandemic era. Cooperation also needs to be conducted on global and regional hotspot issues. Sixth, we should be more cautious and ensure that China-U.S. relations do not exert a negative influence on third parties, in particular, forcing other countries to choose sides, which is something other countries do not want to be forced to do.

 

The development of digital technology and globalization provides opportunities for cultivating future talents with a new spectrum of vocational education. In the Sub-session on Education and Culture, guests from China and abroad worked around the theme of “Constructing the spectrum of vocational ability of future talents”. Participants at the forum all agreed that vocational qualification frameworks were commonly used in most countries with advanced vocational education, and China should also take it as an important direction in its own vocational education reform. The COVID-19 outbreak and the development of new technology has triggered global economic changes and industrial adjustments, as well as a new round of vocational education reform. To meet the demand of reform, countries should learn from each other and strengthen cooperation in vocational education. All parties participating in the forum agreed to share information, create cooperative opportunities, and enjoy win-win results in the future.

 

The threat to global biosecurity has never been as dangerous as it is today. Demand for life science and technology and public health innovation management mechanisms has never been so urgent. In the Sub-session on Advanced Technology, focusing on the theme of “Maintaining Global Biosecurity with Emerging Technologies and Innovative Mechanisms”, experts and representatives of enterprises working in the fields of biomedicine and biosecurity, digital and information technology, and ethics and governance from China and abroad gathered to take part in in-depth discussions and exchanges.

 

Experts believe that in order to deal with biosecurity threats and challenges, and improve biosecurity governance capabilities, we should not only leverage the power of science and technology, but also change the thinking and behavior patterns of people, and deal with interpersonal relationships as well as the relationship between human beings and nature, in order to address the biosecurity issues human beings face with systematic understanding and solutions. Although mankind can not be completely immune to natural disasters, through cooperation and mutual help, the use of science and technology, and improved governance and innovative mechanisms, all countries can achieve a better state of living with nature, promote the harmony and development of human society, and prepare themselves to meet all challenges in the future.

 

Young people are an important force to advance digital technology and a vital component to tackle global challenges. Currently, with uncertainties in international relations, rapid changes in technological evolution and increasing global challenges, our important tasks now are further stimulating young people’s creativity and vitality, eliminating bias and cooperating globally to address challenges facing mankind. In the Youth Dialogue Sub-session, a comprehensive discussion was held among international young talents, focusing on education reform during the pandemic and climate change, which concerns all of humanity. They concluded that the rampant COVID-19 pandemic was a wake-up call to mankind and promoted reforms in various areas, through concept innovation and technological development. At this critical moment of worsening global environment, changing international circumstances, and the accelerated technological revolution, young leaders, representing our future, should embrace the digital era, work hard, cooperate with one another, help build a community of shared future for mankind and contribute to harmonious and healthy world development.

 

The assertion that we are witnessing major changes unfolding in our world is something that appears increasingly obvious as we progress through 2020. While it may be difficult for human society not to be involved in conflicts because of differences in culture, understanding, and interests, we firmly believe that a “community with a shared future” that is harmonious and diverse will be the normal path of human development. This path is not determined by any particular person, group, country or race, but by the fundamental needs of human society for its survival and development. Taihe Civilizations Forum will, as always, hold on to the purpose of “continually seeking wisdom and momentum through the creation of common values” to engage global talents in supporting the communication between different civilizations.