China and the United States should take the lead role in promoting and cooperating in the process of globalization, especially in the time of unprecedented global challenges, speakers said at a forum in Beijing on Saturday.

The call came as the prospect of the reelection of Donald Trump as US president, the rise of the right wing in Europe, the stalemate in the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine, and the expansion of the war in the Middle East raise new questions about the future of the global order.

“Forces for deglobalization, decoupling, and disengagement are rising across all corners of the world. The more we each recede and entrench within our borders, the more we are creating the very reality we are scared of,” James Chau, president of the China-United States Exchange Foundation (CUSEF), said in his welcome speech at the opening session of the 10th China and Globalization Forum on Saturday.

Chau urged participants of the forum to consider concrete steps – both individually and collectively – to transform dialogue into actionable solutions that benefit the global community.

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The CUSEF and the Center for China and Globalization (CCG) co-organized the two-day forum. It features a renowned lineup of government officials, foreign diplomats, think tank leaders, business executives, and academic experts to discuss urgent issues in global politics and business, as well as China’s place in the world.

The forum will host eight panel discussions delving into a variety of important themes including China-US, China-EU, and China-Middle East relations, developments in artificial intelligence, and China’s critical demographic challenges.

The forum’s opening session also featured keynote speeches from China’s Special Representative on European Affairs Wu Hongbo, Director of China Center for Contemporary World Studies Wang Liyong, Vice President of China International Communication Group and President of the Academy of Contemporary China and World Studies Yu Yunquan, and Chair of Governing Board of European Policy Center Declan Kelleher.

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The year 2024 marks the 45th anniversary of the normalization of US-China diplomatic ties and also coincides with leadership changes in the US and the European Union parliament and is considered a critical time for China to implement its 14th Five-Year Plan.