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A Brief Overview of the Beijing Forum

Beijing Forum, an international academic event, has been held annually since 2004. It is sponsored by the Beijing Municipal Government and is overseen by the Chinese Ministry of Education; it is co-sponsored by Peking University, Beijing Municipal Education Commission, and the Chey Institute for Advanced Studies.

Beijing Forum prides itself on three distinctive characteristics: it is international, academic, and has far-reaching impact. For the past 20 years, more than 7000 distinguished dignitaries and scholars from around the world have convened in Beijing for the Forum, demonstrating its importance and significance.

The theme chosen for the first Beijing Forum, “The Harmony of Civilizations and Prosperity for All,” has been retained as the overarching theme for each succeeding forum, which is a testament to the event’s unwavering advocacy of harmony and prosperity for all members of the global community. To supplement and refine the discussion, a sub-theme related to the overall concept of global peace and prosperity is chosen each year.

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Forum News

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Past  Themes

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The Harmony of Civilizations and Prosperity for All: Annual Topics

  • BEIJING FORUM 2023
    Theme

    Inheritance and Mutual Learning

  • BEIJING FORUM 2022
    Theme

    Creating a Future for Human Civilization: Trust, Dialogue and Cooperation

  • BEIJING FORUM 2021
    Theme

    Rising to Meet New Challenges: One World, One Future

  • BEIJING FORUM 2020
    Theme

    Globalization Under the Impact of the Pandemic: New Challenges and Opportunities

  • BEIJING FORUM 2019
    Theme

    The Changing World and the Future of Humankind

  • BEIJING FORUM 2018
    Theme

    Changes and Constants: Universities and Civilizations during the Past 120 Years

  • BEIJING FORUM 2017
    Theme

    Values and Social Order in a Changing World

  • BEIJING FORUM 2016
    Theme

    Mutual Trust, Cooperation, Sharing

  • BEIJING FORUM 2015
    Theme

    Different Paths but Common Responsibilities

  • BEIJING FORUM 2014
    Theme

    China and the World: Tradition, Reality and Future

  • BEIJING FORUM 2013
    Theme

    Retrospect and Prospect

  • BEIJING FORUM 2012
    Theme

    Challenges and Opportunities: New Thinking for a New Reality

  • BEIJING FORUM 2011
    Theme

    Tradition and Modernity, Transition and Transformation

  • BEIJING FORUM 2010
    Theme

    Commitments and Responsibilities for a Better World

  • BEIJING FORUM 2009
    Theme

    Looking Beyond the Crisis to a Harmonious Future

  • BEIJING FORUM 2008
    Theme

    Universal Values and the Development Trend of Civilization

  • BEIJING FORUM 2007
    Theme

    Diversity in the Development of Human Civilization

  • BEIJING FORUM 2006
    Theme

    Reflections on the Civilization Modes of Humankind

  • BEIJING FORUM 2005
    Theme

    Asia’s Opportunities and Development in Globalization

  • BEIJING FORUM 2004
    Theme

    The Harmony and Prosperity of Civilizations

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PARTICIPANTS AND
DISTINGUISHED GUESTS

  • DISTINGUISHED SPEAKERS
  • EMINENT SCHOLARS
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SELECTED KEYNOTE REPORTS

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  • 2023
  • Higher Education in the Age of Great Transformations
    Teruo Fujii

    President, University of Tokyo

  • Thoughts on the Importance of International Academic Exchange
    Mark C. Elliott

    Vice Provost for International Affairs, Mark Schwartz Professor of Chinese and Inner Asian History, Harvard University

  • The Power of Collaboration and Cooperation in a Digital World
    Gene D. Block

    Chancellor, University of California, Los Angeles

PERSPECTIVES

  • Professor Tang Yijie, renowned Chinese contemporary philosopher
    Only when the intrinsic essence of a home culture has been truly developed can it better absorb foreign culture to enhance one’s home culture. As we integrate the external culture we must safeguard the foundation of our own. As such the culture that impacts the social advancement of mankind but must be the kind that’s ethnical and global at the same time. 
  • Dr. Amartya Kumar Sen, Nobel Laureate in Economics (1998)
    Civilizations around the world are widely connected and closely intertwined The need for recollecting and celebrating the richness of the vast interdependences within our far-flung global civilization has never been stronger.
  • Prof. Klaus Schwab, Founder and Executive Chairman World Economic Forum
    Beijing Forum has played an important role in promoting international exchanges and cooperation gathering the collaborative efforts of all stakeholders of global societies to address global challenges and in particular highlighting the important role of universities. Universities should have new ideas and new concepts; in this way they can substantially contribute to the progress of society.
  • Stephen Toope, then-President, University of Cambridge
    “No man is an island.” What is true about people is also true about global universities. Finding solutions to the world’s shared challenges will depend on our institutions’ ability to harness the power of our partnerships. These partnerships help us reiterate our mission: to serve and challenge our societies.
  • Chey Tae-Won, Chairman, the SK Group, Korea
    Over the past thousands of years humanity has accumulated various wisdom and experiences. We need to use these experiences as those who are successful are all capable of dealing with change. However in this process we must not rely solely on tradition and we must continuously adapt to new situations in order to cultivate new traditions. Starting from the Beijing Forum we must create a brand new world.
  • Hao Ping, Secretary of the CPC, Peking University Committee; Chair of the Peking University Council
    “As an important bridge for cultural exchange and scientific research cooperation universities must establish a sense of a community with a shared future for mankind have a broad international vision and a more open and tolerant attitude and possess a larger framework for forming an international academic community. Through scientific and cultural exchanges and frequent contacts among individuals in those fields we can deepen mutual trust collaboration and sharing between different countries and regions to build more solid bonds among us which will provide an inexhaustible motivating force for improving the global governance system.”
  • Gong Qihuang, President, Peking University
    “Universities should continue to expand the opening of education to the outside world and serve as a bridge between civilizations; universities should improve the system for international collaborative innovation and pool the wisdom of all parties to work together to overcome common problems faced by mankind; universities should seize the new opportunities provided by the digital intelligence era and cultivate top innovative talents who have the potential for global leadership.”

Introduction video

The past two decades have flown by. Yet, it is a mere fleeting moment in the grand tapestry of human civilization. Yet within these brief dozen years, the founders, participants, and observers of the Beijing Forum have jointly forged an extraordinary cultural legacy. They have taken the lead to resoundingly proclaim the grand slogan of the “harmony of civilizations”; they have unwaveringly embarked on a relentless exploration of pathways and objectives for the harmonious development of civilization; they have envisioned and pursued the boundless benefits and opportunities that civilization’s shared prosperity could bestow upon all humankind.

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