The Ninth Nishan Forum on World Civilizations kicked off in Qufu City, east China's Shandong Province, the hometown of Confucius. Under the theme of "Common values for mankind and a community with a shared future for mankind - strengthening exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations to jointly address global challenges," the forum will feature a number of activities, including a main forum, high-level dialogues, keynote speeches, etc., from September 26 to 28.

Thomas Bach, president of the International Olympic Committee, said via video that the Nishan Forum shares the same objective as the Olympics, which is to deepen understanding among the civilizations of the world through respectful dialogue and exchange.