Youth representatives pose for a group photo on June 20 (ZHANG WEI)  

The 2023 Future Close-Up Forum took place in Beijing on June 20.  

The forum was co-hosted by China International Communications Group (CICG), China's largest comprehensive international communications agency, and Tencent, China's leading Internet giant, and coordinated by the CICG Center for Americas. The forum also presented a report titled Global Youth Wisdom: Digital Economy Makes the World a Better Place.  

Li Yafang, President of the CICG Center for the Americas; Zhang Jun, General Manager of Tencent’s Marketing and Public Relations Department; Zhang Weiwei, Director of the China Institute at Fudan University in Shanghai; Wang Huiyao, Founder and President of the Center for China and Globalization; Clarence Ling Chun-kit, Chairman of the Y Elites Association in Hong Kong; An Fengshan, Deputy Dean of the Academy of Media and Public Affairs at Communication University of China, Nanjing; Liu Chi, Deputy Dean of the School of Computer Science at the Beijing Institute of Technology, and Lyu Pengyue, Senior Partner of Beijing-based Zhongguancun Industrial Research Institute, were in attendance.  

Li Yafang, President of the Center for Americas, China International Communications Group, delivers a speech at the 2023 Future Close-Up Forum in Beijing on June 20 (ZHANG WEI)   

Li said in her speech that during this journey exploring China's thriving tech industry, all international young attendees had experienced and witnessed the development of China’s society, economy, technology and culture, while making many new friends from different countries. "Every Chinese person you meet is a witness and participant in the development of contemporary China; their stories are a microcosm of the country's development story in the new era." 

Li said that as an "experienced youth," she very much cherishes the communication and interaction with and between young people, as well as looks forward to Chinese and foreign youths providing fresh perspectives for the world to understand China, and inject new energy into the promotion of exchanges between China and other countries around the globe.  

Zhang Jun, General Manager of Chinese Internet giant Tencent's Marketing and Public Relations Department, delivers a speech at the forum (COURTESY PHOTO)   

In Zhang Jun's speech, he mentioned this event was only "the first step in a long journey." Through the activity, Chinese and foreign youths came to realize they actually have a lot in common: their expectations for digital technology by large are high, and they brim with curiosities as well as a desire to uncover and understand the future. "With a motivation this strong, I believe that, in the future, we will all team up to forge more bridges and create more platforms for communication, mutual trust and learning, and create more opportunities for everyone to communicate with each other," he said.   

From June 14 to 19, 16 representatives from 14 countries, including China, the United States, the United Kingdom, Spain, Brazil, South Africa and Pakistan, embarked on a six-day journey that set out to bring them an in-depth understanding of China's achievements in the digital economy. In Shenzhen--a major tech hub in south China's Guangdong Province, youth representatives had in-person interactions with employees of tech companies such as Tencent and HONOR, a leading provider of smart devices. In Beijing, capital of China, they experienced Chinese-style digital life by acquainting themselves with the use of shared bicycles, online car-hailing and mobile payments.  

One of the forum's round table discussions (ZHANG WEI)    

"I've lived in China before," Jose Carlos Feliciano Nishikawa, a Peruvian youth representative, said. "From a very personal perspective, I believe that the mid- and long-term focus of China and the role of its public policies were the most important aspects driving this rapid development. This trip really helped me understand more facets of the development of the policies, the overall ecosystem, the tools and the variables that have helped China become the most advanced digital economy in the world today," he elaborated.  

For Igor Alexander Bello Tasic, a Spanish youth representative, this was his first time in China. The country's reality struck him as very different from what he's used to seeing in Western news reports. "My personal experiences in the streets of Beijing and Shenzhen have shown me an ambitious yet balanced society. I have seen parents playing with their children in parks, elderly couples dancing, and couples enjoying a meal, all done peacefully and harmoniously. I have also seen focused professionals working extremely hard, wanting to improve their lives and the lives of their families."   

"That inspires me. Most importantly, it inspires me as a father of two young boys, who I hope will grow up to become balanced men, open, without prejudice and free to have friends from all over the world," the Spaniard said.    

Copyedited by Elsbeth van Paridon    

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