Mabel Miao丨Connecting Youth, Shaping Global Change

Your excellencies, the GYLD members,

Ladies and gentlemen, distinguished young friends,

Good morning!

On behalf of the organizers of this event, I extend a warm welcome and sincere gratitude to all the distinguished guests present here.

Jointly initiated by the Center for China and Globalization, and the Academy of Contemporary China and World Studies, the Global Young Leaders Dialogue program is a unique communication, education, and professional development platform for young achievers with diverse regional, cultural, disciplinary, sectorial, and professional backgrounds across the globe. This program aims to build a platform that gathers young leaders from around the globe to foster intellectual exchange, share experiences, and collaboratively explore new ways to address global issues. We firmly believe that as the most dynamic and innovative force in society, the perspectives and actions of the youth have a decisive impact on shaping the future.

After more than three years of development, we have successfully held nearly a hundred events, attracting the active participation of over 1,000 young leaders around the world. In 2021, we were honored to receive a reply letter from President Xi Jinping, to the youth of the Global Young Leaders Dialogue Program; last year, ten international dignitaries sent sincere greetings to our forum.

This year, we received hundreds of applications from young leaders across more than 30 countries worldwide. The selection process involved recommendations from many internationally renowned and experienced figures, including senior leaders from leading international organizations, think tanks, MNCs and diplomats and many ambassadors to China. 

After multiple rounds of evaluation, we invited 25 outstanding young leaders from abroad to participate in the forum in China to kick off 3 days’ event in BJ. These selected individuals come from five continents, representing countries such as the United States, Germany, Indonesia, South Korea, Japan, Australia, Italy, Slovenia, Poland, Zimbabwe, Spain, Honduras, and more. Among them, 17 are visiting China for the first time. They come from various sectors, including think tanks, academia, business, and government. We also extend a warm welcome to our partner organizations’representatives, including those from ISPI, EPC, and Bled, who have joined us in Beijing. Today, we are joined by 150 young leaders from 50 countries, all gathered here to engage in our discussions.

On the afternoon of December 3rd, we had the privilege of taking our young leaders on a Study Tour to Tongzhou District of BJ, where they could experience the remarkable blend of ancient history and modern development that defines Beijing Municipal Administrative Center. To foster connections among them, we also organized an ice-breaking reception, where everyone had the chance to get to know each other.

Yesterday, we had the honor of hosting the 9th China Global Think Tank Innovation Forum, which brought together over 200 participants, including more than 60 think tank leaders from over 50 countries. Together, we explored critical issues such as China-US relations, global governance in the AI era, and SDGs and human rights. What made the discussions even more inspiring was the active participation of our young leaders, who not only listened but also raised insightful and thought-provoking questions throughout every session.

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Today, the GYLD Annual Forum turns our focus to youth perspectives. The value we uphold this year is:

Connecting Youth with Global Concerns, Inspiring Worldwide Support for Young People.

Connecting Youth with Global Concerns is about encouraging young people to actively participate in global affairs. The youth represent the future of our world. This September, the United Nations’ Summit of the Future adopted the Pact for the Future, which emphasized the role of youth in decision-making at national and international levels. The Declaration on Future Generations, an annex to the pact, reaffirmed the commitment to ensuring the needs and interests of future generations through actions such as eliminating gender discrimination, promoting cultural diversity, and investing in inclusive and equitable education. Through the Global Young Leaders Dialogue Program, we provide a platform for young leaders to showcase themselves and influence the world. We believe that through cross-cultural dialogue and cooperation, youth can better understand the diversity of different cultures and societies, thus becoming a positive force for peace and development.

Inspiring Worldwide Support for Young People means that we must listen to the voices of young people and understand their needs and challenges. Globally, young professionals are facing issues in various areas such as employment, education, health, and the environment. We must provide more support and opportunities for young leaders through policy advocacy, educational programs, and cultural exchanges, helping them find their place in the tide of globalization.

Recently, China has unilaterally and actively opened visas to 38 countries, welcoming international young people to travel to China without a visa and stay for one month. Before the pandemic, about 500,000 international young people came to study in China, and this data is gradually recovering after the pandemic. The study, work, and career development of international young people in China have gradually received the attention of China’s policy makers and think tanks. The CCG has also been constantly promoting such policies.

In this world which is increasingly fragmented and multipolar, young people are an important force in global governance, civilian ambassadors for promoting mutual understanding and important bridges for facilitating communication and cooperation.

President Xi Jinping also announced last year that China welcomes 50,000 American youth to study and exchange in China in the next five years. China actively promotes exchanges and interactions among young people from various countries including the United States. This helps young people with different cultural backgrounds to learn from each other and broaden their horizons, laying a good foundation for building a diverse and inclusive global cultural exchange pattern and promoting the stable development of bilateral relations, demonstrating China's positive attitude and broad mind in international cultural and people-to-people exchanges and cooperation.

We need more young leaders, educators, entrepreneurs, and non-governmental organizations to join us in creating a more inclusive and sustainable future for the youth.

I wish GYLD members can Enjoy this journey and start from it to make more contributions to a more peaceful, inclusive, mutually trusting and sustainable world.

Finally, I want to emphasize that forward-thinking is not just about the development of technology and economy, but also about the progress of values and humanity. Let us embrace change with an open mind and guide the youth towards a better globalization.

Thank you.

Learn more

GYLD Annual Forum 2024 successfully held

The 2024 Global Young Leaders Dialogue (GYLD) Annual Forum, hosted by the Center for China and Globalization (CCG) with support from the Academy of Contemporary China and World Studies (ACCWS), is successfully concluded on December 5 in Beijing. With the theme "Forward Thinking the Way Forward," the forum brought together global youth leaders to foster cross-cultural dialogue and collectively address critical global affairs and challenges young people are facing.

150 participants including senior experts, young professionals, media from over 50 countries like United States, Germany, Italy, Slovenia, Indonesia, Turkey, Japan, South Korea, Zimbabwe, Honduras attend the forum. Near 20 young professionals come to China for the first time.

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