Int'l university experts call for cooperation to promote global development

BEIJING, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- About 100 university experts and scholars from China and around the world gathered at Peking University (PKU) on Wednesday, advocating for more cooperation to promote global development, security and civilization.

The two-day Global Conference on University-affiliated Think Tanks 2024 brought experts together to discuss new paths for global development and prosperity, explore the opportunities and solutions for global security, and seek ways to promote exchanges and mutual understanding among civilizations.

Jeffrey D. Sachs, director of the Center for Sustainable Development at Columbia University in the United States, said in a video speech that China has made a huge contribution to addressing global challenges by introducing three major global initiatives -- the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative and the Global Civilization Initiative.

"Each of these adds a major part of problem solving and global solidarity to address the interconnected challenges of the environment, economic inequality, technological change and geopolitical change," he said.

The topics discussed during the conference include climate change, energy transition, food security, technological innovation, international relations and cultural exchanges.

Green industrialization is an important way to address global warming, said Justin Lin Yifu, dean of the Institute of New Structural Economics at PKU, adding that people need to work together to deal with it.

"Those countries that could easily achieve peak carbon have a responsibility to help other countries," he said.

Jin Zhijun, an academician of Chinese Academy of Sciences, also underscored the role of cooperation in the energy transition. "If the global scientific community join forces to produce cheaper and cleaner technologies, it would be a great contribution to human civilization," said Jin.

"Two shared values that bind us together are climate change and global health," said Gordon G. Liu, dean of the Institute for Global Health and Development at PKU. "We need to find common values to follow in order to build a community with a shared future for mankind," he said.

Experts and scholars from PKU, Tsinghua University, Fudan University, Columbia University, Cornell University, Korea University, Istanbul University and other universities attended the conference.

A launching ceremony of the Global University-affiliated Think Tanks Network was also held at the conference. The network, led by PKU in conjunction with dozens of renowned universities from home and abroad, is committed to providing intellectual support to address global challenges and promote global development. ■