CEDPR Visits OECD Headquarters in Paris and Starts Talks

In an increasingly competitive world of great powers, there is a growing need to find common ground on the governance of global commons and global public goods, such as climate change, outer space development or key minerals, to help forge dialogue and cooperation to address the pressing challenges of our time.

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the establishment of a comprehensive strategic partnership between China and Europe, and next year will mark the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and France. As one of the most important countries in the European Union, France is not only an important political and cultural centre in Europe, but also a key hub for international affairs. Strengthening humanistic exchanges between China and France will not only help increase mutual trust between the two countries, but is also expected to make positive contributions to world peace and prosperity.

On the eve of the China-Europe Summit, a delegation of experts from the Centre for European and Asian Development Research (CEDPR) embarked on a second-track diplomatic visit to France, where they exchanged views with world dignitaries, renowned experts and famous entrepreneurs in order to learn about the trend of global political and economic development, and to explore the potential of future cooperation between China and Europe.

During its stay in France from 11 to 15 November, the Expert Group attended the "Paris Peace Forum" initiated by French President Macron, and was invited to discuss with the Chairman of the Paris Peace Forum, so as to make China's voice heard and contribute Chinese wisdom to avoiding the division of the global economy. In addition, he held discussions and exchanges with renowned European think tanks and delivered a speech at the OECD headquarters. The fruitful results of the visit have provided strong support for policy research and helped promote humanistic exchanges and mutual trust between the two countries, expanding opportunities for cooperation between the two sides in the new era.

On 10-11 November 2023, the 6th Paris Peace Forum opened in Paris, France. Under the theme of "Searching for Common Ground in a Competitive World", the Forum was attended by many government leaders and heads of international organisations, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), financial institutions and think tanks, including President of France, President of Senegal, President of Ghana, President of Ghana, Akufo-Addo, and President of the Council of Europe, Michel Michel, among others.

The CEDPR Expert Panel was invited to attend this year's Forum and spoke at the sub-forums themed "Saving World Peace in the Midst of Global Competition" and "Avoiding Economic Uncoupling: How Can Globalisation Heal? They spoke at the sub-forums on "Saving World Peace in Global Competition" and "Avoiding Economic Uncoupling: How to Heal Globalisation?" respectively, and shared their views on whether the United Nations is still effective, whether collective security will become an inevitable sacrifice of geopolitical competition, and whether geopolitical conflicts will affect economic globalisation, etc. They also made their Chinese voices heard and contributed Chinese wisdom.

During the Forum, the CEDPR Expert Group also held bilateral meetings with Pascal Lamy, Founding President of the Paris Peace Forum and former Director-General of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), Angel Gurria, current President of the Paris Peace Forum and former Secretary General of OECD, and Gabriela Ramos, Assistant Director-General of UNESCO and colleague on the Steering Committee of the Paris Peace Forum.

On 12 November local time, a delegation of experts from the Centre for European and Asian Development Research (CEDPR) participated in a luncheon seminar organised by the Aspen Institute to welcome CEDPR in Paris, where they had in-depth exchanges on China-Europe relations in a turbulent world, China-Europe economic and trade co-operation, as well as China-Europe cultural exchanges. More than 20 eminent persons from the French business and diplomatic communities participated in the exchange.

On 15 November, OECD Headquarters in Paris hosted a special policy exchange session for the CEDPR Expert Group, inviting them to deliver a speech at the OECD Conference Centre on China's economic development in the post-epidemic era, China and global governance, and how to strengthen global cooperation on multilateralism. A total of 32 countries and international organisations from Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Mexico, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, the United States, and the European Union attended the event. Ambassadors of 32 countries and international organisations to OECD attended the meeting and listened to the voices of the Chinese side, while the Deputy Secretary General of OECD took part in a special speech and exchange of views, and the OECD G20 coordinators participated in a lunch exchange.