Hundreds of politicians and scholars from all over the world attend a forum to discuss global challenges and development in Shanghai, November 6, 2019. /CGTN Photo
A forum highlighting China's 70-year development and the building of a community with a shared future for mankind opened in Shanghai on Wednesday. The event is part of the second Hongqiao International Economic Forum.
Hundreds of politicians and scholars from all over the world attended the forum to discuss global challenges and development, as the world is at the crossroads of many political and economic issues. China's Belt and Road Initiative and its efforts to enhance multilateral cooperation were highly praised.
"The Chinese initiative is very important for the process of globalization, for putting people together, for openness and closeness, for being together in a harmonious way and living together," Rexhep Meidani, former President of Albania, said.
"I am very much with China to protect multilateralism. Yes, we have to reform United Nations, the IMF, the World Bank, and the WTO. Even President Xi was talking here in the expo in Shanghai yesterday. How to reform is another question," said Grzegorz Kolodko, Poland's former deputy prime minister.
The consensus paper "China's 70-year Development and the Building of a Community with a Shared Future for Mankind" is delivered during the forum in Shanghai, November 6, 2019. /CGTN Photo
China's resolve and actions for further opening up has boosted other nations' confidence to do business in China and benefit from the world's second largest economy.
"So you have free trade zones in many areas. You are promoting the rule of law in terms of international commerce. And this is great. Other countries, like the Western blocs, it is easy for them, because they get used to the present system. But you have to adopt your system to the world system. And you have done it very well," said Bhokin Bhalakula, former Thai deputy prime minister.
Inequality between countries and regions is one of the biggest challenges faced by all nations nowadays, and experts say only by sharing development experiences and opportunities can it be addressed.
"If you look at the problems the Western world now faces, such as the problem of refugees, these are issues that development has been very unequal, unjust. So China is now ensuring its development, prosperity, successes and achievement shared with extended neighborhood," Syed Hasan Javed, former Pakistani ambassador to China.
Experts say that in the face of increasing uncertainty over world politics and economy, China and its partners' choices of multilateralism and open markets are the solutions for globally inclusive and sustainable development.