On April 15, 2023, Dr. Nong Hong, Executive Director & Senior Fellow, spoke at the Yenching Global Symposium 2023 on the topic of “Great Powers and Great Responsibilities: Avenues of US-China Engagement.” Held in a hybrid format, the Symposium is hosted by the Yenching Academy of Peking University and was conducted both virtually and in-person out of Hainan, China.
About Yenching Global Symposium 2023
互manity: Cartographies of Collaboration
The world today is confronted with a series of global challenges, risks, and uncertainties. COVID-19, climate change, poverty and inequality, regional conflict, inflation and post-pandemic economic recovery, emerging technologies – all of these issues transcend national boundaries, cannot be addressed by individual institutions and countries, and call for cross-sectoral and global approaches. Yet, we live in an increasingly divided world, both within and across borders. Political, social, economic, and cultural fault lines have deepened and are becoming more entrenched, leaving societies with intractable fissures and acute polarizations. This is threatening our ability to unite, achieve consensus, and effectively address the complex problems which the world is facing. The global community urgently requires mutual understanding, constructive dialogue, and international cooperation to advance our broad common interests.
This begins with first recognizing that all of us in the world belong to one humanity. As people living in an interconnected (相互联系), interdependent (相互依存), and intertwined (相互影响) global village, no individual is spared from these issues, and all of us are bound by a shared home, fate, and future. If we are to overcome these global challenges and prosper, we must assert our common humanity, rise above divisions, and strengthen our solidarity as one human race. Simultaneously, humanity refers to the qualities that make us human – kindness and compassion, respect and understanding, and empathy and love. These are values which human beings – as global citizens, and as a worldwide kinship network – must embrace, nurture, be guided by, and care for in order to collectively overcome global issues. Yenching Global Symposium 2023 aims to map, chart, and illustrate the forms of collaboration which humanity needs, as well as engage, enable, and empower participants to comprehend contemporary issues and build partnerships for overcoming global challenges.
Interaction (互) between people across different cultures, societies, and borders is essential to breaking down barriers, promoting mutual understanding, facilitating the diffusion of ideas, and advancing collaboration. Yenching Global Symposium 2023 aims to serve as a platform and springboard to develop connections between different geographical regions (互联互通), to encourage assistance between different communities (互帮互助), and to identify opportunities for mutual benefit (互惠互利). At the same time, Yenching Global Symposium 2023 seeks to cultivate a spirit of mutual trust and respect (互尊互信), of mutual learning and appreciation (互学互鉴), and of mutual integration and inspiration (互融互促).
Yenching Global Symposium 2023 explored connections and opportunities for cooperation along three dimensions:
- Geographical Affinity
- Cultural Affinity
- Human Affinity
About the Yenching Global Symposium
The Yenching Global Symposium (YGS) is one of the most prestigious conferences in the world. Held every spring, the symposium comprises engaging lectures, panel discussions, and interactive sessions on topics surrounding China and the world. Each year, the symposium features prominent and distinguished Chinese and international speakers from a wide range of fields, including esteemed scholars, eminent officeholders, and leading professionals. The leaders of today will share their insights with students and young professionals from around the world with a noted passion for China.
Every year, the symposium receives thousands of applications, making it one of the most selective and competitive conferences in the world. The selected delegates hail from a wide range of countries and regions, enabling a interdisciplinary and intercultural gathering of rising global leaders.
YGS Mission: The Yenching Global Symposium (YGS) provides a platform for emerging leaders, established practitioners, and Yenching Scholars around the globe to engage in interdisciplinary dialogues on China through the unique lens of the Yenching Academy of Peking University.
YGS Vision: By exploring key issues related to China and the world, the Yenching Global Symposium (YGS) seeks to enable emerging leaders, established practitioners and Yenching Scholars to develop informed solutions to global problems.
