Shanghai Forum 2021 Theme Interpretation

There has never been a challenge that mankind could not tackle, yet not every challenge has beentriumphed. It is only through this hard-fought path that humanity made to this day. Since the age of globalization, what the contemporary had seen was prosperity and dynamism. The year 2020, however, gave us unprecedented challenges:formidable crisis, stagnation, sudden disruptionsand closures, unfair accusations, and even intimidation. Faced withthis unique historical juncture, we decided to change the generaltheme of Shanghai Forum from Global Governance and Asia to Civilization in the Post-pandemic Era: Development, Governanceand Security.This change is toincorporate a broader perspective and a more humanistic approachto the current crisis, and to explore ideas and provide insights for the Asian and the worlddevelopment. At the same time, the annual conference of Shanghai Forum 2021 is themedasRecovery and Resilience: Asia's Role in a Sustainable Future, as we stand at the starting point of the recovery and envision the role of Asia in the resilience of economy and social development.

During this year of pandemic, tremendous changes happened and equally tremendous adjustments followed; they will stay in the near future and continue to challenge humanity. The history of human progress tells us that better tomorrow awaits us. Nature has endowed humans with the ability to evolve and, uniquely, to consult reason; and between these two lies resilience—the power to survive, to grow, and to continue living. This very power makes recovery possibleand keeps us hopeful even in the hardest time, and in this hope, historycan shine upon the future.

That future is already here.We stand at the peak of 5G technology, looking towards 6G; we stand among the forest ofdata gazing at the sky of AI; weswim inthe ocean of the dataeconomy, aspiring for the green economy. At the same time, admittedly, we long for the COVID-19 vaccinesand hope thatthe political and economic uncertainties can be lifted. Also, in good faith we look forward to the day when diseases, poverty, hunger and war no longer threat humanity.We believe that inclusiveness, peace, and positivityhavenever been this important. We also hope that fairness, justice andtherule of law shine the world again. In order to do so, we must “take the way of nature, nurture the life of all things, and look for development opportunities while protecting the environment,”and in good faith, we hope for the lucid waters, lush mountains,blue oceans andclear sky. As the world recovers from the pandemic, in good faith and hope, a more sustainable and inclusive future is approaching.

This iswhat we, the Asian people, want. A resurging, resilient and sustainable Asia must hold a promising future, and also must contribute to the promising future of the world. The Asian people have flowered brilliant civilizations, which have developed and bloomed through exchanges and mutual appreciation with other world civilizations. Hence, regional cooperationandcommon development isthe right and ultimate path. With the advancementof multilateral institutionssuch as RCEP, Asian countries mutually support and seek cooperation. This isnot only as a regional strategyto overcome the crisis, but is also a global consensus which seeks to resolve conflicts created during the process ofeconomic globalization.

Shanghai Forum has gone through 15 years of hardshipsand has witnessed the changes of the21st century. “Let the torchof peace pass onthrough generations, let themomentum of development never subside, letthe light of civilization keep shining.”This is the responsibilitygiven by history to our generation. For this cause, even if the road ahead isfull of trials and tribulations, we will not stop nor retreat. Instead, we go forward with eyes opened, with the wisdom acquired from history and men before us, and seek the light.  

Let’sembrace the path of sustainable future, and thelight will shine upon us!