On March 27th, a seminar to celebrate the centennial of the Communist Party of China (CPC) was jointly organized by the Shanghai Academy of Global Governance and Area Studies of Shanghai International Studies University and the China Forum under the Center for International Security and Strategy at Tsinghua University.

Participants engaged in an in-depth discussion, both theoretically and empirically, on lessons learned from the CPC governance over the past century, challenges faced by the People’s Republic of China due to enhanced international discourse power, and the adjustment of the discourse system amidst restructuring of major-power relations.

Discussants pointed out that the CPC has delivered excellent results in driving growth, and that in order to create a more benignant external environment for China, it could appeal more to the empathy of the audience of its societal narratives. In addition, participants called for responses against discourses to stigmatize China with reason, civility and wisdom, and for diversified public diplomacy.

The discussion also focused on bilateral and multilateral major-power relations, where experts noted the necessity to deploy and adjust narratives and strategies at the right time to break out of the “institutional competition” and forge ahead toward the community with a shared future for humankind.