On 16 January, the CDF Secretariat has released the theme of China Development Forum (CDF) 2019 - “Greater Opening-up for Win-Win Cooperation”.

Hosted by the Development Research Centre of the State Council (DRC) and organized by the China Development Research Foundation (CDRF), The CDF is committed to “Engaging with the World for Common Prosperity”. It is an annual conference held at the weekend right after the conclusion of the “Two Sessions”, namely those of the National People’s Congress (NPC) and the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC). This year, the 20th CDF will be held at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing on 23-25 March, 2019.

Lu Mai, Vice Chairman and Secretary General of CDRF, observed that the world at present is facing great changes: uncertainties abound in the world economy, and cyclical and structural challenges stand out in the domestic economy, creating substantial downward pressure.

Yet the fundamental situation that China is still and will long remain in an important period of strategic opportunity for development has not changed; peace and development remains the theme of our time. The key question we need to answer is how to turn challenges into opportunities, and risks into predicables through deepening reform as well as comprehensive and high quality opening-up.

“After four decades of widening opening-up and deepening domestic reform, China has made great progress and significant contributions to the world’s peace and development. Open, innovative, coordinated, green and shared development are the five pillars of China’s new development philosophy. Greater opening-up for win-win cooperation has become the value, the means and the lifeblood of China’s development in the new era, and the pathway to build a community of shared future for mankind.”

Secretary General Lu remarked that at this moment, with the theme of “greater opening-up for win-win cooperation”, the CDF provides a pivotal platform for the Chinese government, global business community, multilateral international organizations and the academia to enhance exchanges and mutual trust, and to promote pragmatic cooperation and level dialogues.

The preparation of the CDF 2019 has been proceeding smoothly. Secretary General Lu mentioned that the forum will feature more than forty important sessions, and integrate the new development philosophy with economic, political, cultural, social and ecological endeavors for its topic consideration, and will focus on hotspot issues such as supply-side structural reform, free trade zone and free trade port, 5G, WTO reform and the international financial architecture.

Given this complicated international landscape, the CDF 2019 focusing on opening-up and cooperation is welcomed and anticipated by the global business community and international institutions. According to the CDF Secretariat, all parties have provided positive feedback, and more than 100 overseas delegates have confirmed their attendance.