HONG KONG SAR  - 22 December 2023 - The Centre on Contemporary China and the World (CCCW) at The University of Hong Kong (HKU) marked its official launch by hosting its Inaugural Conference, titled "A Renewed Hub and a New Horizon," on December 15. This premier event convened about 40 distinguished scholars of various disciplines, policymakers, and industry leaders from across the globe to engage in a dialogue on Mainland China's evolving role within an ever-changing global landscape.

The day-long event featured an impressive lineup of speakers and provided venues for scholarly exchanges among attendees. The conference began with welcoming remarks delivered by Professor Xiang Zhang, President and Vice-Chancellor of HKU; Professor Li Cheng, Founding Director of CCCW; and Mr Cheung Kwok-kwan, Deputy Secretary for Justice of the HKSAR.

"Here at HKU, we firmly believe our scholars and students must draw upon Hong Kong's unique positioning as China's most internationalised, most open, and most globally connected city. Drawing upon Eastern and Western methodologies, featuring discourses from the Global South and North, academics across all disciplines will come together at this Centre to conduct impactful research into the governance of China and the country's foreign relations in a rapidly changing world," Professor Zhang said.

"This gathering demonstrates the collaborative efforts required to establish CCCW and make our vision of a global hub for the study of the governance of China and the world a reality," Professor Li added. "Collectively, we will be able to leverage Hong Kong's distinguished position to help advance studies in five key areas: science and technology transformation; climate change and alternative energy; economic and financial reforms; political leadership and generational transition; and geopolitical landscape change, with an emphasis on the Sino-U.S. relationship."

"Hong Kong can serve as a key lever in the next phase of Sino-U.S. relations, and more broadly, East-West and South-North interactions. And the CCCW, which builds on a foundation at HKU, is strategically positioned to serve as an institutional home for interdisciplinary and international collaboration. Let us embrace this opportunity with a shared vision of Hong Kong playing a pivotal role in revitalising and strengthening the bonds that span across the Pacific and beyond, enabling us to overcome challenges and seize new opportunities," remarked Mr Cheung.

The dynamic panel discussions held during the day-long inaugural seminar encompassed a broad array of topics including Global-Local Cooperation on Climate Change; Pursuing Peace: Managing China-U.S. Relations; Economic Recovery: China and the World; Public Health in an Active Ageing Society; In the Age of Security: Geopolitics; and Global Governance and Mutual Learning: Sinology in Asia and Europe. Each panel featured experts who shared their distinct perspectives.

The conference culminated in a fireside conversation between Professor Jeffrey Lehman, Vice Chancellor of New York University Shanghai, and Professor Richard Wong, Provost and Deputy Vice-Chancellor of HKU, discussing "People-to-People and Educational Exchanges in China-U.S. relations."

For the detailed agenda of the inaugural conference "A Renewed Hub and a New Horizon," please visit https://www.hku.hk/press/news_detail_26919.html

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