The 3rd Xiamen University Forum on the Belt and Road Development was held online on September 25th. Sponsored by the Belt and Road Research Institute of XMU and the Institute of China Studies of the University of Malaya, the Forum was jointly hosted by the School of International Relations/Research School for Southeast Asian Studies and Development Research Center for Silk Road Countries in Xiamen. Themed on "Belt and Road Initiative and Southeast Asia", the Forum attracted nearly 200 specialists, scholars and entrepreneurs.
Zhang Yan, XMU Party Secretary and Chairman of the Belt and Road Research Institute of XMU, Huang Yong, Director of the Department of International Cooperation of the National Development and Reform Commission, Ying Xiong, leader of the Office of the Leading Group for Promoting the Belt and Road Initiative addressed the opening ceremony on the 25th morning.
Zhang pointed out the strategic significance and academic value of discussions on furthering the relations between China and countries along the Belt and Road; he also introduced Xiamen University's efforts to contribute to the Belt and Road cooperation. Zhu Chongshi, Former President and Dean of the Belt and Road Research Institute of XMU hosted the opening ceremony.
After the opening ceremony, seven professors from the Renmin University of China, Peking University, Beijing Normal University, University of Malaya, Xiamen University, and the Philippines Diliman gave keynote speeches at the Forum. They discussed the prospects of BRI and the emerging challenges it faced, new perspectives for viewing BRI, BRI and China's foreign direct investments, the opinions of Malaysian social media on China after the COVID-19 pandemic, the systematic considerations on energy, environment and high-quality economic growth, China-ASEAN economic and trade relations under the BRI, and Belt and Road research in the Philippines. Professor Wang Cheng, Director of the Belt and Road Data Center for the Belt and Road Research Institute of XMU, released the progress in Belt and Road database development made by XMU.
Five parallel forums on politics, economics, humanities, society (including education) and Chinese literature in Southeast Asia were also held. The specialists, scholars and personages focusing on this field from domestic and overseas universities, institutes, and social groups participated in deep exchanges on political interactions, economic and trade engagement, and people-to-people and social discussions under the framework of BRI. In addition, two prominent entrepreneurs who actively make investments in BRI projects shared their experience in acquisition and operation and provided valuable advices for China's programs in promoting high-quality development of BRI and building a community with a shared future for humanity.
Xiamen University has held two Forums on the Belt and Road Development in 2018 and in 2019 respectively. The Forums have covered multiple subjects such as BRI policy communication, the connectivity of infrastructures, unimpeded trade, financing, and shared values of peoples.
