Zhuhai to host Maritime Silk Road Forum on Int'l Communication

A press conference on the preparation work and the latest developments for the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road China (Guangdong) International Communication Forum in Guangdong Province, on September 11, 2018. (China Plus/Zhu Zirong)

The 21st Century Maritime Silk Road China (Guangdong) International Communication Forum will be held in Zhuhai, Guangdong from September 19-21. The forum, which will bring together over 1,000 delegates, will be attended by special guests including the former French Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin, the 2011 Nobel Prize winner for Economics Thomas J. Sargent, and Zhu Yeyu, the vice president of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.

Co-hosted by China Media Group and the People's Government of Guangdong Province, the forum will showcase the achievements of Guangdong Province in becoming a major gateway linking China with the world. The province also provides an example of the benefits of China's policy of Reform and Opening Up, which celebrates its 40th anniversary this year.

On Tuesday at a media briefing organized by the Guangdong Provincial Government, one of the event's co-hosts, Bai Jie, the executive director of the Publicity Department of the CPC Guangdong Provincial Committee, said that the theme of this year’s forum would be "New Era, New Silk Road, New Image".

As well as being an opportunity to look back at past achievements in the region, the forum will look forward to the work being done in Guangdong to advance the development of the Belt and Road Initiative. And there will be discussion of the role of the province as part of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and the opportunities to improve regional integration.

China Media Group, which brings together China Central Television, China National Radio and China Radio International, is the other co-host of the event. The vice president of China Radio International, Hu Bangsheng, said that China had already made some major breakthroughs in the construction of the Maritime Silk Road. Hu said that, as the world faces a rising tide of conflicts as seen in the growth of trade protectionism and unilateralism, China Media Group has an important role to play as a voice for China on the international stage.

Several exhibitions will be on offer during the forum, covering topics such as publishing, intelligent manufacturing, and cultural innovation, along with performances with a Maritime Silk Road theme and events promoting the host city of Zhuhai. The forum will also host the launch of the "2018 Report on Guangdong Enterprises Going Global Along the Belt and Road".