From June 5 to June 7, 2016, the China-United States University and Think Tank Forum (2016) was held at PKU. The forum was jointly hosted by Peking University and Stanford University. It is co-organized by the Institute for China-US People to People Exchange and the Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center. The theme of this forum is “A Changing Global and Political Order: Perspectives from China-United States Cooperation.” John Negroponte, former U.S. Deputy Secretary of State; the late Wu Jianmin, former Chinese Ambassador to France; Yuan Ming, Dean of the Yenching Academy; Michael McFaul, Former US Ambassador to Russia, and many other scholars and experts on international relations attended the forum.
During the opening ceremony on June 6, 2016, Li Yansong, Vice President of PKU, welcomed the distinguished guests. He highlighted the importance of China-US civil exchanges. He also mentioned the several platforms hosted by PKU such as the China-US People to People exchange to promote stronger ties between the citizens of the United States and China.
Later on, Lin Jianhua, President of PKU, gave a welcome speech. He pointed out that the world today is complex and it is very important to understand this world with intellectual support. He welcomed all the scholars and audiences to participate in this forum. He believed that the civil society communication between China and US is helpful to construct a peaceful world.
Many argue that we have entered a new era-or that new rules of the game are being injected-in international geopolitics that is amplifying instability and sharpening distrust. The forum, which brings together some of the sharpest minds and effective actors from China and United State, will shed light on this question and help to shape the changing world order.
Written by Fu Jiayu
Editor’s Note:
On June 18, Wu Jianmin was killed in a car accident while traveling to Wuhan to deliver a speech. Wu, 77, a former ambassador to France, the Netherlands and the United Nations in Geneva, and former president of China Foreign Affairs University, was a well-known and highly-regarded diplomat throughout China and the world. Wu Jianmin delivered his final speech on June 6 at Peking University.
