The 2023 Understanding China Conference: China Narrative Challenges and Opportunities

• Cui Tiankai, former Chinese Ambassador to the United States: cognitive and narrative issues in Sino-US relations
• Professor Huang Renwei, Distinguished Vice President of China Institute for Innovation & Development Strategy, Executive Director-General, Fudan Institute for Belt and Road and Global Governance: the death of Henry Alfred Kissinger, former US secretary of state, inspired a new era in international relations

GUANGZHOU, China, Dec. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Understanding China Conference, a prestigious event hosted by China Institute for Innovation & Development Strategy, recently took place in Guangzhou, China. The conference, centered on China's New Endeavors Amid Unprecedented Global Changes—Expanding the Convergence of Interests and Building a Community of Shared Future, featured a keynote speech from Cui Tiankai, advisor to the Council of Chinese People's Institute of Foreign Affairs and former Chinese Ambassador to the United States, during the luncheon. The luncheon event was presided over by Zheng Yongnian, Chairman of the Guangzhou Guangdong Hong Kong Macao Greater Bay Area Research Institute and Dean of the Qianhai International Affairs Research Institute at the Chinese University of Hong Kong (Shenzhen).

Cui Tiankai underscored the necessity of a precise narrative to grasp China's essence. He highlighted three widespread mistaken acknowledgement about China's foreign policy: China's strategic global intentions, China's peripheral foreign policy, and China's diplomatic style. He also voiced his inclination to select "Sun Wukong" to epitomize China's diplomatic style, marked by loyalty, steadfastness, discernment of good and evil, potent capability, and distinct Chinese cultural aspects.

On November 29, before the conference, former US Secretary of State, Mr. Kissinger, passed away.

"Many people mentioned and commemorated him in their speeches at the Conference. His interest in global strategic stability and his expansive vision for world leadership are well-known," said Professor Huang Renwei, Distinguished Vice President of China Institute for Innovation & Development Strategy and Executive Director-General, Fudan Institute for Belt and Road and Global Governance.

"The passing of Mr. Kissinger has ushered in a new chapter in international relations. Kissinger often said that each visit to China brought fresh insights and knowledge. As a symbol of an era, his passing did not end that era; instead, sparked a new period in international relations."