On July 2, President Wang Chao of the Chinese People’s Institute of Foreign Affairs (CPIFA) hosted a welcome banquet for the distinguished guests attending the 13th World Peace Forum. About 20 foreign guests including former Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama, former President of the European Council and former Belgian Prime Minister Herman Van Rompuy, H.R.H. Prince Turki Al Faisal bin Abdulaziz Al Saud of Saudi Arabia, former Australian Foreign Ministers Gareth Evans and Bob Carr, former Indonesian Foreign Minister Hassan Wirajuda, former Singaporean Foreign Minister Yeo Yong-Boon, as well as heads of relevant institutions and leading academics from the U.S., Russia, South Africa, Canada and other countries attended the banquet.

President Wang Chao said that since its inception in 2012, the World Peace Forum has, with the care, support and involvement of all parties, become an important platform for exchanging ideas on promoting global security, maintaining world peace and stability, and building a community with a shared future for mankind. This year, the CPIFA has officially become one of the two organizers of the Forum. We will work closely with Tsinghua University to make the Forum even better. 

President Wang Chao noted that this year marks the 70th anniversary of the Bandung Conference, the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War, and the 50th anniversary of China-EU diplomatic relations. The CPIFA has co-hosted with its foreign partners a series of activities to remember history, cherish peace and forge ahead together to build a world of lasting peace and universal security. President Wang pointed out the world today is undergoing rapid changes unseen in a century. We face a fluid and volatile international situation, as traditional and non-traditional security challenges keep emerging and the global economic, financial and security order, as well as the global governance system have taken severe blows. Human society is once again at a historical crossroads. In this connection, the theme of this year’s Forum is set as “Advancing Global Peace and Prosperity: Shared Responsibility, Benefit, and Achievement”. This reflects the call of people around the world. President Wang added that he looked forward to hearing the insights of the participants at the Forum.

President Li Luming of Tsinghua University, one of the Forum’s organizers, also spoke at the banquet.

The foreign guests said that they will make the most of the important platform of the Forum to contribute their ideas and suggestions on tackling global security challenges and enhancing the well-being of humanity.

Advisor to the CPIFA Council and Former Chinese Ambassador to the U.S. Cui Tiankai, CPIFA Vice Presidents Yang Tao, Zou Xiaoli and Zhou Pingjian, CPIFA Deputy Secretary General Zhang Lu, Vice Chancellor of the Tsinghua University Council and Secretary General of the World Peace Forum Yang Bin, and Honorary President of the Institute of International Relations of Tsinghua University Yan Xuetong attended the banquet.