World
Better youths, better city
By Li Wenhan  ·  2022-08-17  ·   Source: Web Exclusive

"Sustainable development and peace cannot be achieved unless we engage with young people around the world to create conditions for them to reach and unleash their full potential," said Shahbaz Khan, Director of the UNESCO Office Beijing, in his opening remarks at the G20 Young Entrepreneurs Dialogue, an event joined by more than 30 young talents and entrepreneurs from 13 countries, in Zibo City, Shandong Province, on August 13.  

What cities can do to help youths flourish was the major topic of the event. The role of a city is to provide the best possible environment for the development of future entrepreneurs, said Vittoria Pesenti, General Manager of the Swiss-Chinese Chamber of Commerce based in Beijing. 

“I will definitely come if a city has culture and history, and is beautiful and convenient both logistically and materially,” Pesenti told Beijing Review during a visit to Zibo Ceramics and Glass Museum. "I will tell my friends how nice this trip is." 

Zibo, a city in east China with growing industrial and economic vitality, has invested hugely in attracting international talent to take part in its innovation-driven and high-quality development. 

In the past five years, the city has introduced more than 1,300 foreign talents, according to Li Junjie, Vice Mayor of Zibo. In addition, up to 460 industrial projects with the whole investment of 550 billion yuan ($82.09 billion) will be implemented in 2022.  

Ehsan Elahi, a professor of applied economics from Pakistan, came to Beijing in 2012 for his Ph.D. before deciding to settle in Zibo for a new opportunity in Shandong University of Technology. In 2020, Ehsan earned the title of Taishan Scholar Young Expert. The Taishan Scholar Young Expert Program was initiated by the Shandong Provincial Government to attract academic top-notch talents at home and abroad by providing funds and resources for research. 

The Dialogue in Zibo was one stop of a three-day tour on August 12-14, while the others covering cultural spots and development zones in Jinan, capital city of Shandong Province. 

  

  Young entrepreneurs from China and abroad visit Davinci Motor, a robotic vehicle company based in Zibo city, Shandong Province, on August 13 (ZHANG WEI)   

The trip, themed as "Better Youths, Better City," was made possible by the Global Young Leaders Dialogue (GYLD), jointly initiated by the Center for China and Globalization (CCG) and the Academy of Contemporary China and World Studies (ACCWS). The program launched in Beijing in 2020 aims to develop a community driving cross-cultural dialogue and communication for young people in the world. 

The visit allowed the young talents to explore China’s diverse culture, to learn about the competitive advantages of different cities, and, if possible, to come identify opportunities and market gaps. This is relevant especially at a time when more people-to-people exchanges are needed after three-years of COVID-19 pandemic. 

Olesia Ermakova (first left), Russian curator of SCOLAR Network Beijing Hub, a youth initiative platform headquartered in Beijing, speaks at the Global Young Talents Dialogue held at the Qi Heritage Museum in Zibo, Shandong Province, on August 14 (ZHANG WEI)  

During a stop at Linzi Football Museum in Zibo, Ahmadzai Abdul Wahed, an Afghani entrepreneur and Secretary General of the Alumni Talent Alliance, was surprised to learn that football was already popular in ancient Linzi, the capital of Kingdom Qi, more than 2,000 years ago. The sport was called Cuju, which literally means “kicking a ball.” 

  

Young adults play the sport of Cuju, literally meaning “kick a ball,” which existed more than 2,000 years ago, at Linzi Football Museum in Shandong Province’s Zibo city on August 14 (ZHANG WEI)  

“I hope China can tell its stories well, and that every province and every city can do likewise. They need to tell international friends why they should come and what life will be like in the future,” he said. 

The founder and President of CCG Wang Huiyao said, “It’s a good chance for them to understand where we come from and where we are going to go.” As a result, they can help tell the Chinese story better, by word of mouth or by social media, he explained. 

Despite the COVID-19 consequences, the young talents are optimistic about China’s enormous market. Gatson Chee, CEO and founder of BeGo Education, an overseas study agency, and a member of the Executive Committee of the British Chamber of Commerce in China, said Chinese people value education and are eager to see the wider world, the technology is booming here and the policy toward talents from overseas is systematic. 

Young people prefer a place where they feel relaxed and it’s easy to fit in, so this program gives us a chance to promote mutual understanding, Pesenti said. “If a city wants to go out to become more international, they need more programs like the GYLD,” she concluded. 

Copyedited by G.P. Wilson  

Comments to liwenhan@cicgamericas.com  

 

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