On September 29th, Professor ZHOU Hong, China Forum Expert and Academic Member and Chair of the Division of International Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, participated in a panel discussion entitled “Shifting Sands: Geopolitics in Crisis Mode” in the Athens Democracy Forum. The session was moderated by Steven Erlanger, Chief Diplomatic Correspondent in Europe for The New York Times, and featured speakers including Dubravka Šuica, Vice-President of the European Commission for Democracy and Demography, and Ibijoke Faborode, Co-Founder and Executive Director of ElectHER.

Professor Zhou spoke about democracy in China, including the reforms China has initiated to improve its political, social and economic governance, and China’s perspective of democracy. She pointed out that despite different understandings of democracy and democratic structures among countries, the world should not be divided by ideologies. She also addressed concerns about the rise of China, noting that democracy and science have been the pursuit of the Chinese people for generations, and that the advances in new technologies and the Internet will undoubtedly contribute to the betterment of democracy.

On China and Africa, Professor Zhou said that China and African countries have always maintained good relations, and have been cooperating closely in a wide range of areas in a mutually beneficial way.

Dubravka Šuica urged Europe to learn the lessons of the past and avoid the risk of isolation from the rest of the world. Ibijoke Faborode noted that Africa will continue to make efforts to better integrate into the international system in an era of great power competition.

Convened in 2013 by The New York Times and the Democracy & Culture Foundation, the Athens Democracy Forum is an independent NGO committed to empowering society through better governance and citizen engagement.