Harvard China Forum kicks off with China-U.S. ties in spotlight

Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-13 15:23:01|Editor: Li Xia

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Michael Szonyi, director of the Harvard Fairbank Center for Chinese Studies, speaks during the 22nd Harvard China Forum (HCF) in Boston, the United States, April 12, 2019. The 22nd Harvard China Forum (HCF) kicked off here late Friday, as Chinese, U.S. scholars and business leaders discussed challenges facing China-U.S. relations while expressing their optimism about the future. (Xinhua/Yang Chenglin)

BOSTON, the United States, April 12 (Xinhua) -- The 22nd Harvard China Forum (HCF) kicked off here late Friday, as Chinese, U.S. scholars and business leaders discussed challenges facing China-U.S. relations while expressing their optimism about the future.

"There are increasing challenges in recent years to the globalized world," Jiarong Li, an organizer of the event, told Xinhua. "We hope that the forum will facilitate more productive collaborations through dialogue."

Stephen Orlins, head of the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations and also a witness of the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries, said that bilateral cooperation is essential in the areas of combating climate change, anti-terrorism and pandemic containment.

"In the long term, I'm a strong optimist about the U.S.-China relations," Orlins told the welcoming ceremony.

Michael Szonyi, director of the Harvard Fairbank Center for Chinese Studies, called for action from both sides to strengthen people-to-people exchanges in order to eliminate an "understanding deficit."

"I would like all of you to consider U.S.-China relations not as a single, abstract relationship, but as multiple, real relationships embodied in personal connections," Szonyi said.

According to a statement from the organizers, the HCF is expecting more than 1,000 attendees this year. It features 11 panels covering a wide range of issues, namely finance, technology, entrepreneurship, arts, culture, entertainment, international relations and development, philanthropy, consumers and retail, music, and pharmaceuticals.

The HCF was founded in 1997. It is a student-run forum on China held in April every year at Harvard University.