Xinhua News Agency, Changsha, October 22 Title: Common Development and Seeking Security : Observations from the First General Conference of the Boao Forum for Asia Global Economic Development and Security Forum
Xinhua News Agency reporters Zhou Nan, Bai Tiantian and Chen Yuzhen
In the view of Ban Ki-moon, Chairman of the Boao Forum for Asia and eighth Secretary-General of the United Nations, the call for action, solidarity and multilateralism has been heard loudly and clearly in Asia, and he has been deeply encouraged by China's repeated emphasis on strengthening international cooperation, policy coordination and global governance to build a shared, secure and sustainable future for all mankind.
From the 18th to the 20th, more than 2,600 guests from the global political, business and academic circles gathered in Changsha, Hunan Province to participate in the first conference of the Boao Forum for Asia Global Economic Development and Security Forum. With the theme of "Economic Security and Sustainable Development under Great Changes", the conference focused on the risks, hidden dangers and non-traditional security challenges facing economic development, and discussed how to create a safe and stable external environment for sustainable development in Asia and the world.
Issues such as food security, energy security and climate change sparked heated discussions at the meeting. Many participants believed that these problems are becoming increasingly prominent, bringing unprecedented challenges to the recovery and sustainable development of the world economy.
Qu Sixi, the UN World Food Programme's representative in China, said: "The number of people between 720 million and 811 million people in the world who face hunger and 2.37 billion who do not have access to nutritious food is much higher than the previous year. ”
How can food security be ensured? Several guests gave suggestions. Zhao Bingran, a researcher at the National Hybrid Rice Engineering and Technology Research Center, said that if rice is planted on saline-alkali land with potential, it will play an important role in food security. Johar Ali, principal researcher of the International Rice Research Institute, believes that ensuring food security requires global efforts, and countries must strengthen cooperation under the impact of climate change and the epidemic.
At the sub-forum on global energy supply and security, Gao Jifan, chairman of Trina Solar Co., Ltd., and other guests said that how to achieve carbon neutrality and cope with power shortages and imbalances is a challenge facing the current energy supply, which requires continuous promotion of clean energy technology progress and cost reduction, and also requires public participation.
Non-traditional security issues are creating new challenges. Ban Ki-moon believes that the COVID-19 pandemic has profoundly revealed the fragility of economies and societies in terms of security, and some challenges are beyond the scope of what people know.
Cybersecurity, supply chain security, etc. became hot topics during the conference. "If smart cities and urban brains are attacked by cyberattacks, the consequences are unimaginable." Cui Baoqiu, vice president of Xiaomi Group, believes that "big data is the 'nuclear fuel' of the development of the new era, and information leakage is like a 'nuclear leak', which will cause irreversible losses." ”
Zheng Yongnian, Dean of the Institute for Advanced Study in Global and Contemporary China at the University of Chinese, Hong Kong, Shenzhen, believes that cybersecurity requires more cooperation between countries.
Under the impact of the epidemic, the risks of the industrial chain and supply chain have become prominent. Huang He, deloitte China regional economic consulting partner, believes that the epidemic has "reshaped" the global supply chain, and people will consider more security factors when industrial layout and migration. Siu Chi Wai, vice chairman of DCH Macau Supply Chain Management Co., Ltd., said that due to the rise of trade protectionism and anti-globalization, how to keep the industrial chain and supply chain competitive has become the biggest test.
How to create a safe and stable external environment for sustainable development in Asia and the world? The participants all agreed that countries can only find a way out if they work closely together.
Former Deputy Prime Minister Surakiart of Thailand believes that the theme of economic security and sustainable development in this session of the conference is very suitable for the needs of the times. Security and development are inextricably linked and mutually reinforcing. The international community should address both the symptoms and the root causes, reinvigorate multilateralism and strengthen international cooperation.
Zhou Xiaochuan, vice chairman of the Boao Forum for Asia, believes that in the face of global trade frictions and anti-globalization trends, China has not slowed down the pace of financial opening up, but has made breakthroughs in the opening up of the financial industry. This will not only bring new markets and new opportunities to the world, but also promote the supply-side reform of China's domestic financial industry and strengthen the ability to maintain financial stability and security through higher level development. (Contributors: Zhang Yujie, Xie Ying) (End)