Shanghai Forum 2023 Theme Interpretation

Shanghai Forum 2023

Towards a More Inclusive Globalization: Asia's New Responsibilities

The global landscape and the international system are experiencing dramatic and profound changes. The development of human society has reached a new crossroads. Waves of deglobalization and anti-globalization are witnessed. The peace and cooperation that we have been accustomed to for decades as a result of globalization now seem to become fragmentation, closure, competition and even confrontation. Unilateralism once prevailed. Trade protectionism has intensified. Common interests and shared values are facing great challenges.

Since the first industrial revolution, the trend of globalization and counter-globalization has been appearing alternately. Today, globalization as a trend of development should not be confined to one single pattern. In other words, with a different time and a different situation, now we need to give globalization a new connotation to break through the limitations of its original mode, thereby bringing the world back on track of respecting each other's differences and pursuing common development.

Asia is a beneficiary of globalization, a contributor to globalization and more importantly, a participant in globalization. Inclusiveness, a unique characteristic of Asian wisdom, could move the world towards inclusive growth and prosperity again. How can Asia take on its new responsibilities and build better cooperation mechanisms to enhance understanding? How to promote, lead and achieve the inclusive globalization for common development? With the theme of Towards a More Inclusive Globalization: Asia's New Responsibilities, Shanghai Forum 2023 will build a platform for in-depth interdisciplinary discussions on topics including geopolitics, high-tech development (artificial intelligence, integrated circuits, biomedicine, etc.), global economic recovery (international finance, economic and trade development, etc.), digital transformation, climate change, public health, the convergence of Chinese and Western civilizations, national development dynamics, etc. We look forward to bringing together the world's elite and wisdom to explore an unprecedented path of inclusive development.