By Tao Xing
Juan Camilo Camargo Amaya from Colombia was excited after participating in a week-long youth exchange program in China in June, describing it as “an exceptional experience.”
It was the first time he came to the country. “Visiting China has been a dream of mine for a long time. I think China is an example of innovation, of progress… And to be able to be here, to experience this and see this beautiful landscape and how China has progressed in recent years, is awesome,” he told Beijing Review during the trip.
Camargo Amaya is global director of business solutions at Mentors International, a Colombia-based nonprofit agency that operates in developing countries to lift individuals and families out of the generational cycle of poverty. This year was the second time that Camargo Amaya signed up to participate – and received an invitation.
The program he participated in is Close in the Future 2024, launched in 2023 in conjunction with the Center for the Americas of China International Communications Group (CICG) and the Marketing and Public Relations Department of technology giant Tencent. The program brings together experts and young adults working in various fields in China and other countries to participate in discussions and exchange views on the current scenario and the opportunities generated by new technologies.
From June 13 to 21, Close no Futuro 2024 welcomed 27 young representatives from 21 countries and regions, including China, the United States, Russia, Germany, Italy, Thailand and Japan, on a tour that departed from Beijing and took them to Shenyang, in Liaoning Province, northeast China, and the Xiongan New Area, in Hebei Province.
Another Close in the Future participant, Phillip Forman, co-founder of American art technology company Vie Science, said that as a technology entrepreneur he was very interested in learning more about technology development in China, and that he hoped to gain a better understanding of the similarities and differences that contribute to rapid growth.
“I’m excited to meet new people who are building the future. Furthermore, I have international experience and have been learning Russian and Chinese for a few years, so I am very interested in finally meeting and communicating with people working in these geographies,” he said.
Elena Poliakova, a Russian assistant professor at a business school in France, was eager to understand China’s fast-growing technology industry and discuss crucial questions regarding how technology affects the economy, culture and everyday life.
A tale of two cities – This year’s Close in the Future theme was the Exploration of New Quality Productive Forces. The Chinese concept of “new quality productive forces” refers to the shift toward growth driven by innovation, technological advancement and high-quality development in different sectors of the economy.
In Shenyang, the capital of Liaoning, Liaoning Governor Li Lecheng met with young participants on June 15. Li said the province is accelerating the cultivation of new quality productive forces to maintain a stable and upward trajectory of economic growth.
Li said he hoped all participants would have the chance to explore Liaoning’s high-quality development and experience the hospitality of its residents. He encouraged youth representatives to deepen their understanding of the province and actively promote Liaoning by sharing their views on how it is revitalizing.
In Liaoning, the advantages of developing new quality productive forces can be seen in the strong industrial base, its highly advanced manufacturing sector and a series of open platforms and collaboration opportunities, said Li Jun, deputy director of the Liaoning Commerce Department. Liaoning, presented to participants at an event on June 15.
Ng Yuk Yeung Paul, executive vice-president and co-CEO of Hong Kong South China Holdings and executive chairman of the Hong Kong Federation of Liaoning Associations, said at the event that the province is rich not only in industrial legacies but also in resources minerals and tourism. Furthermore, it is also an important center of agricultural production. All these elements combined mean great growth potential.
Simon Buschges, a German who works for a French consultancy, was happy to see the strong economic ties between Shenyang and Germany, evidenced in the lively scenes he witnessed at the China-Germany International Business Innovation Incubation Center and along Sino International Street -German in Shenyang.
Buschges also found it interesting to note that, like Germany’s Industry 4.0 initiative – a project for the comprehensive digitalization of industrial production – China is also driving this type of development. “Thinking big is the right path, seeing what is possible and going beyond what is currently just the norm, taking the next step to promote new things,” he said.
In Xiongan New Area, Close the Future 2024 participants visited various locations to understand first-hand the planning and development of the area. The smart city has left a deep impression on youth representatives.
“The establishment of the Xiongan New Area in Hebei is a historic and strategic decision to promote the coordinated development of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region. It is a project of millennium importance and an issue of national significance,” Wang Jiping, director of the Xiongan New Area Government Office, told young adults at a welcome dinner on June 18.
Wang said that in the past seven years, Xiongan New Area has achieved important milestones. It is rapidly developing into a city of the future, which combines Eastern and Western elements, a green and low-carbon city, a digital innovation center, a happy and liveable city, and an open urban area that welcomes diversity.
“Xiongan belongs not only to China but to the world,” said Wang, adding that he encouraged young representatives to explore and experience in Xiongan the remarkable advantages of new quality productive forces, feel the warmth of its people and share its history with the international community.
Forman said what surprised him most about Xiongan was the area’s definition of blue and green spaces, and that the latter should consistently represent 70% of the area. He believes this is an essential characteristic because discussions about big cities often tend to ignore natural and ecological aspects.
Before starting construction of the area, Xiongan’s urban planners and builders visited about 20 countries to learn from their urban development experiences, and then adapted these insights to their particular situation, which left a strong impression on Forman.
Alland Dharmawan, personal assistant to the president’s advisor at the Presidential Advisory Council of the Republic of Indonesia, said there is a lot to learn from Xiongan in terms of green development. He mentioned that Indonesia is currently building its new capital, Nusantara, on Kalimantan Island, a place rich in rainforest resources.
As in Xiongan, the intention is to make Nusantara a green city because, looking to the future, making cities more environmentally friendly is the direction that every country aspires to build. Addressing global challenges such as climate change requires not only promoting economic development but also taking good care of the environment, he said.
Understanding China – Erik Solheim, Co-Chair of the Europe-Asia Center and former Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations, addressed young people via video link at the closing ceremony of Close on Future 2024 on 20 June.
Solheim, who first visited China 40 years ago, recalled that there were almost no skyscrapers or private cars in China at that time. No one had seen a high-speed train.
“In these 40 years, China has gone from being a very poor society to becoming a higher-income country, with enormous modernity and enormous progress for everyone,” he said. “And it’s worth highlighting that the transformation is also very green.”
China has largely won the war on pollution with notable improvements in air quality, he added. It has also become a leader in photovoltaic and wind energy, electric vehicles and other green technologies.
“Seeing is believing. China has now become one of the most modernized countries in the world. I hope everyone returns to their hometowns with these wonderful memories,” Solheim said.
In his speech at the closing ceremony, CICG editor-in-chief Gao Anming said that today’s China presents a harmonious blend of traditional culture and modern trends, where historical heritage complements technological innovation. Gao invited all the young people present to visit China more often, to bring the Chinese people into contact with the world’s diverse civilizations and to share the essence of Chinese civilization with people everywhere.
“The Close in the Future program aims to help young people around the world better understand China, serving as a platform for young people to promote exchanges between China and foreign countries,” Gao added.
In his speech, Siddharth Chatterjee, UN Resident Coordinator-President in China, mentioned that China’s per capita GDP was around US$180 in 1979, when 90% of the population was very poor, while most African countries Sub-Saharan Africa in 1979 had a GDP per capita of around US$400. “Today, (China) has achieved a GDP per capita of around US$12,500, he emphasized.
Chatterjee further explained how China’s investments in human capital, infrastructure and trade have created the “foundation of the country’s rise.”
Maisy Ho Chiu Ha, chief executive officer of Shun Tak Holdings and president of the Hong Kong Federation of Liaoning Associations, said via video link that the federation, as one of the hosts of this event, intends to make full use of the platform to tell the stories of China, including Hong Kong, to the world.
Li Yafang, president of the CICG Center for the Americas, told the young representatives that they have a mission and responsibility to build a better world. She encouraged program participants to raise their voices to contribute to her efforts in building a community with a shared future for humanity. “Let us sow together the seeds of cultural exchange and friendship, cultivate a beautiful world and make the garden of civilizations colorful and vibrant worlds”, concluded Li Yafang.
(Peng Jiawei and Zhang Shasha also contributed to this article)
This text was originally published in China Hoje magazine. Click here, sign up to our community, receive a free digital subscription and access the full content.
Source: https://www.chinahoje.net/visionarios-em-acao-jovens-do-mundo-inteiro-vem-conhecer-o-desenvolvimento-da-china/
