Experts and scholars from such countries as China, Russia, the United States, Italy, and Poland, as well as international organizations like UNESCO and the UN Economic Commission for Africa attended the Global Strategic Dialogue (GSD) 2023, held online and offline, in Beijing on Oct. 26. Under the theme of “Global Opportunities and Challenges: Seeking Certainty in an Uncertain World,” the conference was divided into three sessions: “World Changes, Peace and Stability,” “Globalization and Economic Development,” and “Diversity of Civilizations and a Harmonious World.”

Addressing the opening ceremony of the GSD, Gao Xiang, president of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS), noted that in the face of escalating global development problems, mounting global security threats, and increasing barriers to people-to-people exchanges, Chinese President Xi Jinping has successively proposed the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative, and the Global Civilization Initiative, which have won wide recognition in the international community.

China stands ready to work with all countries to build an open world economy of higher standards amid challenges from the backlash against globalization, safeguard the peaceful, stable global environment amid profound changes worldwide, and appreciate the beauty of the harmony among diverse cultures amid civilizational exchanges and mutual learning, Gao said.

He added that China will steadfastly advance opening up with high standards, accelerate the construction of a new development pattern, and focus on high-quality development to inject more certainty into the world through new developments and continuously drive the world to become a better one.

As the world’s second-largest economy, China has always been a constructor of world peace, contributor to global development, and upholder of the international order, said Qu Yingpu, publisher and editor-in-chief of China Daily, at the opening ceremony.

The three initiatives put forward by President Xi Jinping have mapped out a promising blueprint for building a global community of shared future, Qu said. He expressed the hope that institutions like think tanks and media outlets from China and abroad can deepen exchanges and join hands to foster a new type of international relations featuring mutual respect, fairness and justice, and win-win cooperation, and to build a community of development, security, and diverse cultures.

Other scholars also pointed out the growing prevalence of common risks to human society, as long-term, mid-term, and short-term historical variables intertwine and overlap, and unstable and uncertain factors have evidently increased in the international environment. As humanity is a community with a shared future that shares weal and woe, resolving common risks necessitates pooling the wisdom and strength of the international community, which is the inevitable path for seeking certainty in an uncertain world.

The conference was co-sponsored by CASS and China Daily. It was organized by the Institute of World Economics and Politics, the Bureau of International Cooperation, the National Institute for Global Strategy at CASS, and the China Watch Institute subordinate to China Daily.