The 3rd Taihe Civilizations Forum, initiated by the Taihe Institute, will open in Beijing on September 6. The forum is based on the theme of “Science Culture, Future Ethics and Common Values,” establishing four sub-forums on International Relations, Education and Culture, Disruptive Technologies, as well as Security and Development of the Belt and Road. Guests from organizations such as the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, National Committee on U.S.-China Relations, Nizami Ganjavi International Center, China Public Diplomacy Association, China Education Association for International Exchange, Chinese Academy of Sciences, World Economic Forum and World Public Forum on “Dialogue of Civilizations” will attend the forum.

Furthermore, guests from organizations such as the Global System for Mobile Communications Association, Harvard University, Yale University, Hamburg University, Peking University and Amazon, as well as foreign embassies in China, will also attend the event and conduct extensive and in-depth exchanges and discussions on relevant topics.

This year, the sub-session on International Relations of the Taihe Civilizations Forum will focus on issues such as the reality and future of China-U.S. relations, the evolution of international order and the construction of a “community of shared future for mankind”, as well as multicultural interaction, hoping to clear up disputes and cooperate for win-win outcomes.

China-foreign educational cooperation is the most fundamental and extensive topic in China-foreign cultural exchanges. Promoting China-foreign educational collaboration at different levels and in various fields is of great significance for promoting mutual understanding, mutual respect, and common progress among different civilizations and cultures. The sub-session on Education and Culture will this year focus on the keywords “5G era” and “vocational education reform.” Within the four quadrants with industry-education as the vertical axis and China-world as the horizontal axis, it will strive to explore a new path of vocational education reform and innovation and a new paradigm of vocational education cooperation of the Belt and Road Initiative.

The competition between big countries in terms of science and technology has become increasingly fierce. Global scientific and technological cooperation has been severely impacted by such ideological trends as unilateralism and the “cold war of science and technology.” The sub-session on Disruptive Technologies will explore the impact of science and technology on the development and progress of human society in the era of “digital revolution”, and how countries can resolve contradictions and conflicts, so that cooperation of science and technology can promote the fusion, development, co-construction and sharing of global science and technology.

In 2013, China launched the Belt and Road Initiative, which has provided the world with an international platform for extensive cooperation and popular public products. At the same time, affected by factors such as the turmoil of regional conditions and the uneven development of world economy, the construction and development of the Belt and Road Initiative still face many problems that need to be addressed. The Taihe Civilizations Forum has therefore set up a sub-session on Security and Development of the Belt and Road, to analyze and explore the challenges and coping mechanisms faced by this Initiative, so the “Belt and Road” can truly become the “road of peace” and “road to prosperity."

Over the past three years, the Taihe Civilizations Forum has adhered to the principles of “Strictness and Objectivity, International Orientation, Focusing on the Frontier and Seeking practical results.” At the same time, we have faced contradictions while listening to the voices of all parties, and persevered with rallied consensus, to build shared values as we try to promote harmonious and sustainable development. This, in turn, has devoted itself to becoming a public diplomacy platform for promoting worldwide exchanges and other cooperative developments.