The 2025 Understanding China Conference, co-hosted by the Chinese People’s Institute of Foreign Affairs (CPIFA), the China Institute for Innovation and Development Strategy (CIIDS), and the People’s Government of Guangdong Province, and organized by the Guangzhou Municipal People’s Government, officially opened on December 1 in Guangzhou. Huang Kunming, Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Secretary of the CPC Guangdong Provincial Committee, attended the opening ceremony and delivered welcoming remarks. Li Shulei, Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Head of the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee, delivered a keynote speech at the opening ceremony. CPIFA President Wu Ken delivered a plenary speech.

Wu Ken stated that President Xi Jinping once pointed out in a congratulatory letter to the Understanding China Conference that to understand China, one needs to understand China’s efforts to further deepen reform comprehensively to advance Chinese modernization. This has provided clear guidance for us to write new chapters in advancing the cause of understanding China. Based on his work in people-to-people diplomacy and personal experiences, Wu shared his views on the four aspects of how to understand China’s development, China’s diplomacy, the Chinese people, and China’s future.

Wu pointed out that the theme of this year’s conference—“New Plan, New Development, New Choices”—also reflects the new context and tasks facing the cause of understanding China. China is now at a new starting point of building on past successes to break new ground in advancing Chinese modernization. The Understanding China Conference will continue to advance in step with the country and the times. The CPIFA hopes to work more closely with all sides to build more roads and bridges for connecting China and other countries, as Chinese modernization delivers greater benefits to the Chinese people and people across the world.

CPIFA Vice President Zou Xiaoli also attended the event.

Those attending the opening ceremony include former President of Ethiopia Mulatu Teshome, former Chancellor of Austria Wolfgang Schüssel, former Prime Minister of Egypt Essam Sharaf, former Prime Minister of Italy and former President of the European Commission Romano Prodi, former Prime Minister of Lebanon Hassan Diab, former Prime Minister of Vanuatu Sato Kilman, and Member of the State Great Hural and former Deputy Prime Minister of Mongolia Dendev Terbishdagva. Altogether, over 800 participants from 70-plus countries and regions attended the opening ceremony, covering renowned political leaders, strategists, scholars, entrepreneurs, diplomatic envoys to China, representatives of international organizations and multinational corporations in China, as well as heads of relevant Chinese government departments.