September 13th, 2021

From September 11 to 12, 2021, “Baichuan Forum - 2021 symposium on changes and assessment of China’s external environment” was successfully held in Qianhai, Shenzhen. This forum was hosted by the Advanced Institute of Global and Contemporary China Studies (GCCS) of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen (CUHK-SZ) and the Qianhai Institute of International Affairs. This forum invited well-known scholars, former diplomats, former officials of international organizations and experts in other fields from all over the country to discuss and evaluate the profound changes in the current international environment, hoping to provide corresponding theoretical and practical basis for decision-makers to formulate strategies and policies through rational discussion at this forum. Xiao Wunan, Executive Vice Chairman of the Asia Pacific Exchange & Cooperation Foundation, attended this event as a distinguished guest and had extensive exchanges with the participants.

Professor Zheng Yongnian, Founding Director of the Advanced Institute of Global and Contemporary China Studies (GCCS) of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen (CUHK-SZ), and President of Qianhai Institute of International Affairs, delivered opening remarks. He explained the original intention of Baichuan Forum. In recent years, the international political situation has constantly changed, the international political situation has constantly changed, the Western-led international free economic order has faced various challenges, and the direction of globalization has begun to change. The structural economic problems in various countries have triggered the crisis of national governance, which makes populism impact the traditional western political order. At the same time, Covid-19 has continued to cause great difficulties to the world and accelerated the evolution of the situation. For China, we are facing a great change that has not been seen in a century. “There is no minor matter in diplomacy.” Although we have become strong, as a responsible world power, this sentence still applies to today’s China. Therefore, it is urgent to understand and see the changes in the world clearly, make a comprehensive and systematic assessment of China’s external environment, and help policymakers make correct, accurate and predictable diplomatic decisions.