On March 22, the International Forum on Chinese Modernization and China-Europe Cooperation and Development was held in Changchun, northeast China’s Jilin Province. Scholars in attendance explored both the theoretical framework and practical evolution of Chinese modernization, urging deeper dialogue and enhanced cooperation between China and Europe to jointly address global challenges and advance the building of a human community with a shared future at this new historical juncture.

As globalization continues to deepen, the world faces multifold challenges across economic, political, social, and environmental domains—making international collaboration more essential than ever. China has not only made notable strides in economic development, but also demonstrated compelling strength and potential in social advancement, cultural flourishing, and ecological stewardship. Together, these achievements offer the international community fresh perspectives and alternative pathways toward modernization. Han Xiping, deputy Party secretary of Jilin University (JLU), emphasized that Chinese modernization is inherently open, not insular. In recent years, China has adopted a strategy of high-standard opening up, continually refining its institutional frameworks to support this approach, while cooperation between China and Europe has grown steadily across economic, scientific and technological, and cultural spheres. Under the Belt and Road Initiative, in particular, trade between China and European countries has become increasingly robust, and investment collaboration has shown strong momentum. These developments have yielded tangible economic benefits on both sides and contributed renewed energy to global economic recovery and growth. While China and Europe differ in historical experiences, cultural traditions, and social systems, Han noted that such differences hold potential as the basis for deeper cooperation rather than barriers to it.

Chinese modernization aligns with the general laws of societal modernization, but more significantly, it represents a distinctive path shaped by China’s own developmental realities. Song Donglin, director of the China Center for Public Sector Economy Research (CCPSER) at Jilin University (JLU), underscored that the success of Chinese modernization lies in its commitment to a socialist model rooted in public ownership. Central to this path is the enduring role of state-owned enterprises, which serve as a foundational pillar in socialist economic construction and the modernization drive with Chinese characteristics.

Liu Gang, director of the Nankai Institute of Economics at Nankai University, pointed out that artificial intelligence (AI) not only creates new social productive forces, but also unleashes the development potential of productive forces accumulated in previous industrial revolutions, serving as a core engine for the development of new quality productive forces. Under the guidance of national strategies, driven by application demands, based on independent innovation, and led by leading tech firms alongside the industrial innovation ecosystem they have built, China has established a comprehensive AI technology system, industrial innovation ecosystem, and enterprise alliance, encompassing intelligent chips, large models, basic architecture and operating systems, tool chains, deep learning platforms, and application technologies. AI, Liu asserted, constitutes not only a national but also a global strategic asset, and provides the material and technological foundation for Chinese modernization.

The conference was hosted by JLU and organized by JLU’s Economics School, the Institute of New Structural Economics at Peking University, and the CCPSER.