On March 26th, Mr. ZHANG Baijia gave a lecture themed “History and Lessons of the Chinese Communist Party’s Engagement with the US” to about 100 students in foreign affairs and area studies at Shanghai International Studies University. Mr. Zhang is former Deputy Director of the Party History Research Center of the CPC Central Committee, a member of the Academic Committee of the Center for International Security and Strategy (CISS) at Tsinghua University, and a China Forum Expert. The lecture was jointly organized by the Shanghai Academy of Global Governance and Area Studies and CISS’s China Forum.

On March 18-19, the Ditchley conference themed “Europe and the UK: building a new partnership after Brexit” was held. Mr. ZHANG Lirong, Secretary General of the China Forum under the Center for International Security and Strategy at Tsinghua University, and Mr. GAO Jian, China Forum Expert, spoke at the international event.

On March 5, 2021, CISS’s China Forum Expert TANG Xiaoyang joined a closed-door roundtable themed “Vaccine Diplomacy and the New World Order” held virtually by the UCLA Center for Middle East Development (CMED). Tang is an associate professor in the Department of International Relations at Tsinghua University. The session was part of CMED’s conference series on “Current Challenges Facing the Middle East.”

On January 15, 2021, CONIJAC (The International Youth Congress of Africa and China) initiated a virtual conference under its Understanding China, Building Africa program, where Professor DING Yifan, China Forum Expert and Fellow at the Institute of World Development under the Development Research Center of the State Council of China, spoke on new dynamics of world development.

In November 2020, Professor DA Wei, Research Fellow at Center for International Security and Strategy in Tsinghua University and China Forum Expert, was invited at the referral of the China Forum as one of the Chinese interviewees of Brook Lapping’s documentary series Trump Takes on the World, which was launched online on BBC in early February.

On February 25 and 26, 2021, the Ditchley Foundation held a webinar themed “Climate judo: how can the impact of the pandemic and the ensuing economic crisis be turned into effective action on climate change?” which spotlighted four issues: finding the political will and popular energy to take climate steps; finding the money to mitigate climate change; learning the lessons from the pandemic on technology and innovation; and advancing China-US climate cooperation.

On January 28 and 29, 2021, the Ditchley Foundation, a leading British think tank, held a closed-door international conference themed “Space: the new space race and its intersection with power, the rules-based order and the economy.”

On December 31, the inauguration ceremonies of the Advanced Institute of Global and Contemporary China Studies and the Shenzhen Institute of Data Economy of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen were held in Qianhai Shenzhen-Hong Kong Youth Innovation and Entrepreneur Hub, followed by the Qianhai Forum on Development and the Mandate of the Times.

In the extraordinary year of 2020, COVID-19 has taught us that we, as humanity, share one future together. We have come to realize the importance of solidarity and cooperation among the world’s youths. Against this backdrop, the University of International Business and Economics (UIBE), China held the 4th Annual Conference of Global Youth Dialogue 2020.

On December 26, 2020, China Forum of the Center for International Security and Strategy, Tsinghua University, held its Year-End Review Meeting and the Seminar on International Communication, gathering its Vice Chair Eric X. Li (via videolink) and more than 20 members for discussions. Secretary-General ZHANG Lirong took stock of the institution’s achievements in 2020 and proposed its vision for 2021. In 2020, China Forum organized over 60 international seminars, published 35 articles in foreign media, and delivered 44 short videos, 10 podcasts and four original columns with 49 issues.

On December 23, 2020, China Forum held a seminar titled “Effective Approaches to Voicing China’s Views on Foreign Media,” which was chaired by HAN Hua, Member of the Executive Committee of China Forum, and attended by leading scholars and media experts including ZHANG Lirong, Secretary-General of China Forum, ZHOU Bo, Fellow at CISS and China Forum Expert, DING Yifan, Vice Chairman of the China Society of World Economics and China Forum Expert, Harvey Dzodin, former Vice President of ABC Television and Senior Advisor to the Center for National Image of Tsinghua University, and Jake Haselkorn, Consultant to CCTV and China Daily and former Beijing Bureau Chief for ABC News.

On December 21 and 22, 2020, the Sino-Israel Global Network & Academic Leadership (SIGNAL) held the 5th Annual Conference on Israel’s China Policy themed “The U.S.-China Rivalry and Israel’s Strategic Landscape” in celebration of its 10th anniversary. The conference featured parallel sessions including “Following U.S. Elections: The U.S.-China Rivalry and Implications for Israel,” “China-Israel Innovation Partnership: Looming Clouds or Bright Future?” and “China in the Middle East: What is Actually Happening?” Ambassador Dr. YUE Xiaoyong, China Forum Expert and Director of the Center for World Studies at the National Academy of Development and Strategy, Renmin University of China, addressed the conference on “Promoting Mutually Beneficial Cooperation Towards a Future for All Humankind.” The event also drew together senior participants from government, business and academia in Europe, the U.S. and the Middle East.