On November 28th, the 9th International Academic Forum on the Belt and Road Initiative & Global Governance was held in Shanghai. Ma Hui, Vice-minister of the International Department of the CPC Central Committee, attended the forum and delivered a speech at the opening ceremony. 

Ma said, over the past decade or so, with the joint efforts of all parties, the Belt and Road cooperation has evolved from a Chinese proposal to an international practice, and progressed from “sketching the outline” to “filling in the details”. Its governance effectiveness has been enhanced, its connotation has been enriching, its appeal has been strengthening, and its technological content has been increasing. The Recommendations of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) for Formulating the 15th Five-Year Plan for National Economic and Social Development emphasizes that China will continue to expand high-level opening up and promote high-quality Belt and Road cooperation. In the face of a complex and evolving international situation, all parties should work to deepen the alignment of development strategies and strengthen joint efforts in the Belt and Road cooperation; make innovation a powerful driver to expand the breadth of practical cooperation; improve connectivity frameworks and deepen integration of production and supply chains; and steadily advance livelihood projects to increase mutual understanding and friendship among peoples. 

This forum was jointly held by the Silk Road Think Tank Association and Fudan University. Sha Hailin, President of the Shanghai Public Relations Association, former Member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Shanghai Municipal Committee and former Head of the Shanghai Department of United Front Work, Chen Zhimin, Vice President of Fudan University, Jiao Yang, former Secretary of the Party Committee of Fudan University, Erik Solheim, former UN Under-Secretary-General, and others attended the event and participated in the discussions.