Chen Siqi

vankochensq@163.com

THE 2024 Understanding China Conference opened in Guangzhou yesterday. Themed “Carry Through the Reform to the End: Chinese Modernization and New Opportunities for World Development,” this year’s conference has brought together over 600 participants, including politicians, officials, scholars, foreign envoys, and media representatives.

In a congratulatory letter sent to the conference, President Xi Jinping said that to understand China, one must understand its ongoing efforts to comprehensively deepen reform and advance its unique path to modernization.

The two-day event will feature six parallel seminars, 14 thematic forums, two closed-door panel discussions, and several exhibitions that feature short videos and showcase various achievements of China’s modernization efforts.

The conference will focus on the economic vitality and potential of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area as a key driver of Chinese modernization. Additionally, it will explore development opportunities across various industries in the context of the digital intelligence era, the low-altitude economy, and new quality productive forces.

During the opening speech, Zheng Bijian, founding chairman of the China Institute for Innovation & Development Strategy, invited the world to join China on its journey towards modernization.

Zheng said that only by understanding Chinese reform can one truly grasp China’s past, modernity, and future, and only by understanding Chinese modernization can one appreciate China’s grand blueprint for further reform. He added that understanding the significant changes in the progress of Chinese modernization provides valuable insights into the new opportunities China could offer the world.

Leung Chun-ying, vice chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, noted that the conference provides a great opportunity for people to share China’s stories positively.

He mentioned his participation in the formulation of Shenzhen’s first urban plan in 1978, which included increasing the population to 300,000.

“We had intense discussions about the target of 300,000 people because some thought it was an overly ambitious goal at that time,” he said. “However, Shenzhen’s population is about 18 million today, and its per capita GDP ranks first among mainland cities.”

“Understanding China is a lesson to be learned,” said Wolfgang Schüssel, former chancellor of Austria. “China had difficult times, but the success of the world’s second-largest economy is a breathtaking story.”

Stavros N. Yiannouka, chief executive officer of the World Innovation Summit for Education, told Shenzhen Daily that the last time he visited China was in 2019. “The most visible change is the high quality of Chinese electric cars. I notice there are more of them on the roads everywhere in the world,” Yiannouka said.

Yiannouka participated in a panel session focused on AI and education Monday. “China is a world leader in AI development, and understanding what Chinese educators are doing and thinking about AI is very important for us in terms of learning and sharing our experiences.”

Maria Sanhueza, a journalist from the Latin American media outlet Citizen who spent six months in China in 2023, returned to China for the conference. “China is seeing more people from Latin American, African, and Southeast Asian countries. I think it’s a very good sign,” said Sanhueza.

Discussing China’s portrayal by international media, Sanhueza stated, “I think everyone should come to China. The media are often biased when it comes to China. China is very diverse, flexible, and resilient, but we don’t see those aspects in the media.”