Experts and scholars from nearly 30 countries and international institutions gathered in Beijing on Friday for a dialogue on counter-extremism. During the symposium, they shared their thoughts and experiences in the fight against terrorism.

At the opening ceremony, Chen Zhimin, the chairman of the China Friendship Promotion Association, said that extremism, the very core of terrorism, targets the young and other vulnerable people, drawing them increasingly closer to terrorist activity. He stressed that a key step towards eliminating the influence of extremism is to create better education and job opportunities.

"What's important in the vocational training centers in Xinjiang is to help them gain the skills needed for employment. It will be easier for them to integrate into society. Such efforts wish to eliminate terrorism and extremism at its roots," said Chen.   

In 2018, an estimated 1,127 terrorist attacks occurred worldwide. The challenge of confronting such threats has already caused the deaths of thousands of people as well as incalculable property damage. For those cross-border attacks, global cooperation is a must. However, double standards block cooperation.

"Some countries have made irresponsible remarks regarding China's fight against terrorism. When terrorist attacks occur in their country, they regard it as terrorism. But when the same things happen in China and we react to it, they call this a violation of human rights, or suppression of certain ethnic groups. This is a typical double standard. Even though we are criticized, we should still cooperate with other countries," said Xing Guancheng, director of the Institute of Chinese Borderland Studies, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

Mohamed Hagate, a member of the Egyptian Foreign Affairs Committee, said the double standard and the continuation of conflicts are the most difficult issues. However, countries must work toward multilateralism.