The aerial photo of Canton Tower.

The 2024 Understanding China Conference is scheduled to be held in Guangzhou, South China's Guangdong province, from Dec 2 to 4.

A host of globally renowned politicians, strategists, scholars, entrepreneurs, diplomatic envoys, representatives of international organizations and business executives of multinational corporations in China have been invited to attend the conference. They will get together with central and local authorities, Chinese scholars and entrepreneurs for in-depth discussions on various important topics.

The conference promises a gathering of distinguished participants and a myriad of highlights. Here are a few keywords to help you understand the conference.

Chinese Modernization

Chinese modernization represents a socialist development path with Chinese characteristics that suit China's national conditions. It busts the myth that "modernization is Westernization" and presents an alternative vision of modernization. It broadens the pathways for developing countries toward modernization and offers a Chinese solution for humanity's quest for better social systems. As was noted by many international scholars, Chinese modernization provides a new developmental model for the world, holding special significance for a vast number of developing countries.

At this year's edition of the Understanding China Conference, participants will delve into the meaning and pathways of Chinese modernization, as well as its global influence, contributing Chinese wisdom to advancing global modernization.

Economic Globalization

Economic globalization is an irreversible trend in history that provides robust momentum for global economic development. As the second largest economy in the world and a representative of emerging markets, China has deeply integrated into the process of economic globalization. Evolving from a participant and beneficiary of economic globalization, China is increasingly becoming a reformer and a leader in the new type of economic globalization. From the high-quality cooperation on the joint construction of the Belt and Road to the signing and implementation of free trade agreements, China has become an increasingly significant player in the process of economic globalization.

At this conference, globally renowned entrepreneurs and economists will discuss how to further propel economic globalization towards a more open, inclusive, universally beneficial, balanced, and win-win direction in the face of the new international economic landscape, and how to achieve common prosperity among countries and ensure the dividends of economic globalization benefit more nations and their people by strengthening international trade and investment cooperation.

Cultural Exchanges and Mutual Learning

Cultures flourish through exchanges and thrive through mutual learning. Throughout history, the Chinese nation has confidently maintained broad-minded interactions and cultural exchanges with other nations, embodying the ideals of "pursuing a just cause for a common good" and "promoting harmony among all nations". In the context of globalization, cultural exchanges and mutual learning serve as crucial drivers of human progress and global peace and development. All countries and nationalities possess their own unique cultures. Through exchanges and mutual learning, they can enhance mutual understanding and trust, with cultural exchanges transcending estrangement, mutual learning transcending conflict, and inclusiveness transcending supremacy.

With great minds from various countries convening in Guangzhou, they will focus their discussions on how to further promote the preservation and development of civilizations, as well as how to advance exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations. They are expected to share their experiences and practices in preserving historical traditions, enhancing cultural dialogues and promoting the development of human civilizations in order to create a new landscape for promoting cultural exchanges, enhancing cultural integration, strengthening people-to-people bonds and fostering a vibrant and diverse world of civilizations.

Global Innovation Collaboration in Intelligent Age

As we enter an intelligent age, a wave of technological advancements is reshaping the global economic and social landscape. China stands at the forefront of the innovation wave, playing a key role in the trend. Chinese enterprises and research institutions continue to make eye-catching achievements in broad fields ranging from the widespread commercialization of 5G technology to the development of cutting-edge artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms, and from the in-depth exploration of big data to the formation of the internet of things (IoT) ecosystem. Collaborations in global innovation in the intelligent age not only matter for technological progress but also hold the key to sustainable development and shared prosperity for human society.

At this year's Understanding China Conference, global innovation collaboration in the intelligent age will take center stage. Participants will delve into how to break technological barriers to achieve a balance between data sharing and security, promote the deep integration of industry, academia and research institutions, and accelerate the transformation and application of intelligent technological achievements.

Common Development

Faced with a myriad of global challenges, the international community increasingly yearns for common development. The concept of common development is becoming deeply ingrained in practice. In today's world, no country can achieve prosperity in isolation; only through cooperation and mutual support among nations can common prosperity be achieved. With firm conviction and concrete actions, China has contributed to building a community with a shared future for mankind. China is committed to the implementation of the Global Development Initiative, increasing investments in global development cooperation, and promoting more robust, green and healthy global development.

At this year's Understanding China Conference, politicians and entrepreneurs from around the world will jointly explore how to strengthen cooperation in different sectors, formulate more practical strategies for common development to address global challenges and promote the healthy socioeconomic development of the world, ensuring that people from all countries can reap more benefits on the path of common development.

Global South Cooperation

The Global South encompasses a diverse group of countries with varied values, systems, cultural traditions, levels of development and diversified interests. The countries of the Global South are facing similar challenges in their development, such as weak economic foundations, relatively backward technological levels, and inadequate infrastructure. Global South cooperation aims to strengthen unity and coordination among developing countries and enhance overall development capacity through resource sharing, experience exchanges and joint development. As the largest developing country in the world, China is committed to standing for and rooting itself in the Global South, adhering to openness to alleviate developmental challenges and harnessing the power of cooperation to deliver more development achievements to benefit all nations in a more equitable manner.

The conference will focus on new opportunities and challenges in Global South cooperation, providing a platform to discuss how to further deepen cooperation models to inject new momentum into developing countries, enhance cooperation with Global South countries, support their vitalization and development, and work together to achieve global modernization.

High-Quality Development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area

The Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area is a significant economic growth engine and a driving force for high-quality development in China. With its unique policy advantages, abundant talent resources, advanced technologies and a complete industrial system, the area continuously leverages its vitality to propel rapid growth in cross-border trade, technological innovation, financial cooperation and other fields against the backdrop of economic globalization and regional economic integration. It also serves as a crucial gateway for China's opening up, attracting the attention of numerous global enterprises and talents.

The development experience and future development plans of the Greater Bay Area and its role in the global economic landscape will be crucial topics at this year's conference. Participants will explore how to better leverage regional advantages, further promote regional economic development and international cooperation, and propel the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area into a world-class bay area and world-class city cluster.

The 2024 Understanding China Conference in Guangzhou is poised once again to be a highly influential international event. Please stay tuned.