BEIJING, July 1, 2024
/PRNewswire/ -- Juan Camilo Camargo
Amaya, from Colombia, was
excited after attending a weeklong youth exchange program in
China in June, describing it as
"an outstanding experience."
It was his first time traveling to the country. "Getting to know
China has been a dream of mine for
a long time. I do think China is
an example of innovation, of progress... And being able to be here
to experience that and see this beautiful scenery and how
China has progressed over the past
several years, is outstanding," he told Beijing Review
during the trip.
Camargo Amaya is global director
of business solutions at Mentors international, a Colombia-based non-profit agency that operates
in developing countries to uplift individuals and families from the
generational cycle of poverty. This year was the second time
Camargo Amaya had applied to
participate—and received an invitation.
The program he participated in is the 2024 Future Close-Up,
which was jointly launched in 2023 by China International
Communications Group (CICG) Center for the Americas and tech titan
Tencent's Marketing and Public Relations Department.
The program brings together experts and young adults working in
a range of fields from both China
and other countries to engage in discussions and exchange
perspectives on the current landscape and potential opportunities
generated by new technologies.
From June 13 to 21, the 2024
Future Close-Up hosted 27 youth representatives from 21 countries
and regions, including China,
the United States, Russia, Germany, Italy, Thailand and Japan, on a tour departing from Beijing, taking them to Shenyang in China's northeastern province of Liaoning and Xiongan New Area in Hebei Province.
Fellow Future Close-Up participant Phillip Forman, co-founder of U.S. art tech
company Vie Science, said that as a tech entrepreneur, he was very
interested in learning about technology development in China and hoped to gain a better understanding
of the similarities and differences contributing to the rapid
growth.
"I'm excited to meet new people who are building the future.
Also, I have an international background and have been learning
Russian and Chinese for a few years now, so I'm very interested to
finally meet and communicate with people working in those
geographies," he said.
Elena Poliakova, a Russian
assistant professor at a business school in France, was eager to get a grasp on
China's fast-growing technology
industry and discuss the critical questions of how technology
affects the economy, culture and everyday life.
A tale of two cities
This year's Future Close-Up was themed on Exploring New Quality
Productive Forces. China's concept
of "new quality productive forces" refers to the shift toward
innovation-driven growth, technological advancement and
high-quality development in different sectors of the economy.
In Shenyang, the capital city
of Liaoning, Liaoning Governor Li
Lecheng met with the young participants on June 15. Li said that the province is
accelerating its cultivation of new quality productive forces to
maintain a stable, upward trajectory of economic growth.
Li hoped for every participant to get the chance to explore
Liaoning's high-quality
development and experience the hospitality of its locals. He
encouraged the youth representatives to deepen their understanding
of the province and actively promote Liaoning by sharing their experiences of how
it is revitalizing itself.
In Liaoning, advantages in
developing new quality productive forces include a strong
industrial base, a highly advanced manufacturing sector, a cohort
of open platforms and opportunities for collaboration, Li Jun, Deputy Director of the Department of
Commerce of Liaoning, introduced
to the participants at an event on June
15.
Ng Yuk Yeung Paul, Executive Vice
Chairman and co-CEO of Hong Kong South China Holdings Co. Ltd. and
Executive President 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 mineral and tourism resources.
Besides, it is also a major hub for agricultural production. All
these elements combined mean great growth potential.
Simon Buschges, a German working for a French consultancy, was
happy to see the strong economic ties between Shenyang and Germany, evidenced by the lively scenes at the
China-Germany Enterprise International Innovation Incubation Center
and along the Sino-German International Street in Shenyang.
Buschges also found it interesting that, much like Germany's Industry 4.0 initiative, a project
for the comprehensive digitalization of industrial production,
China is pushing forward this type
of development. "It's right to think big, to see what's possible
and go beyond just what is currently the norm, and to take the next
step and promote new things," he said.
In Xiongan New Area, 2024 Future Close-Up attendees visited
different sites to get a firsthand understanding of the area's
planning and development. The smart city left a deep impression on
the youth representatives.
"The establishment of Xiongan New Area in Hebei is a historic and strategic decision to
advance the coordinated development of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei
region. It is a project of millennial significance and a matter of
national importance," Wang Jiping, Director of Government Office of
Xiongan New Area, told the young adults at a welcome dinner on
June 18.
Wang said that over the past seven years, Xiongan New Area had
achieved important milestones. It is rapidly developing into a city
of future that blends Eastern and Western elements, a green and
low-carbon city, a hub of digital innovation, a happy and livable
city, and an open urban area that embraces diversity.
"Xiongan belongs not only to China, but to the world," Wang said, adding
that he encouraged the young representatives to explore and
experience Xiongan's remarkable advantages in new quality
productive forces, feel the warmth of its people, and share its
story with the international community.
Forman said that what had surprised him most about Xiongan was
the area's stipulation that blue and green spaces must consistently
account for 70 percent of the area. He believed this to be an
essential feature because discussions on large cities often tend to
overlook the natural and ecological aspects.
Prior to kicking off the area's construction, Xiongan's urban
planners and builders visited some 20 countries to learn from their
urban development experiences and then tailored these insights to
their unique situation, a feat that left quite the impression on
Forman.
Alland Dharmawan, Personal
Assistant to the Advisor to the President at Presidential Advisory
Council of the Republic of Indonesia, said there is much 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
tropical rainforest resources.
Like Xiongan, the intention is to make Nusantara a green city
because, looking to the future, the greening of cities is the
direction every country aspires to. 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 the youth via video link at the 2024 Future
Close-Up closing ceremony on June 20.
Solheim, who first visited China 40 years ago, recalled there were almost
no skyscrapers or private cars in China back then. No one even contemplated high
speed rail.
"In these 40 years, China has
gone from being a very poor society to close to becoming a higher
income country with enormous modernity and huge progress for
everyone," he said. "Remarkably, 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 power, 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 can return to their hometowns with these wonderful
memories," Solheim said.
In his speech at the closing ceremony, Editor in Chief of CICG
Gao Anming said that today's China
showcases a harmonious blend of traditional culture and modern
trends, where historical heritage complements technological
innovation. Gao welcomed all the attending young people to visit
China more often, introducing the
world's diverse civilizations to the Chinese people and sharing the
essence of Chinese civilization with people everywhere.
"The Future Close-Up program aims to help young people around
the world better understand China,
serving as a platform for youth to promote exchange between
China and foreign countries," Gao
added.
In his address, Siddharth
Chatterjee, UN Resident Coordinator in China, mentioned that China's per-capita GDP was around $180 back in 1979 and 90 percent of the
population was very poor, while most countries in sub-Saharan
Africa in 1979 had a per-capita GDP of close to $400. "Today, [China has] achieved a per-capita GDP of about
$12,500," he emphasized.
Chatterjee further explained how the China's investments in human capital,
infrastructure and commerce had created the "bedrock of the
country's rise."
Maisy Ho Chiu Ha, Executive
Director of Shun Tak Holdings Ltd. 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, aims to fully
utilize the platform to tell the stories of China, including Hong Kong, to the world.
Li Yafang, President of CICG Center for Americas, told the young
representatives she believes youth bear the mission and
responsibility of building a better world. She encouraged program
participants to raise their voices and contribute their efforts to
building a community with a shared future for humanity.
"Let us jointly sow the seeds of cultural exchange and
friendship, cultivate a beautiful world, and make the garden of
world civilizations colorful and vibrant," Li Yafang concluded.
Copyedited by Elsbeth van Paridon
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SOURCE Beijing Review