The Power Of Dialogue

By Elsbeth van Paridon

Chinese President Xi Jinping has called on the worlds younger generations to increase mutual understanding and friendship through participation in international exchange programs. President Xi made the call in response to a letter from 36 participants in the Global Young Leaders Dialogue （GYLD） program.

The GYLD aims to develop future opinion leaders under the age of 45， coming from all geographic regions， academic backgrounds and occupations， by fostering international world views that value cooperation. It was jointly initiated by two Beijing-based think tanks—the Center for China and Globalization and the Academy of Contemporary China and World Studies.

In their letter to President Xi， who is also General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China （CPC）， the participants， representing 28 countries， extended their congratulations to the CPC on its centenary. Describing their trips around China as part of the program， they said the experience had deepened their understanding of China and expressed their hopes of serving as a bridge to promote the exchange and dialogue between China and the rest of the world.

Participants in the GYLD program found its activities gave valuable insights into Chinese society and economy， as well as the journey China has taken on its path to moderate prosperity. Jonathan Lopez， a Colombian managing TikToks in Latin America strategy for ByteDance， expressed his appreciation for the wide variety of topics covered in the GYLD tours. Lopez participated in the tour of Guangdong Province in south China in May as well as the tour of Hebei Province in the north in June. He told Beijing Review he was deeply impressed by the tech industries and supporting infrastructure present both in south China and in Xiongan New Area， a state-level development hub established in Hebei in 2017. “The smart and sustainable advancements China is making both up north and down south are putting the nation at the forefront of digital innovation，”Lopez explained.

Brazilian Rafael Henrique Zerbetto， a journalist with China International Publishing Group， has a strong fascination with the 100-year-long history of the CPC. He joined the GYLD trip to Jiangxi Province， east China， the land where the countrys “red culture” demonstrates its inimitable significance in modern Chinese history. “A token of the CPCs determination to serve the people of China and offer them a prosperous future，” Zerbetto added.