27-28 June 2013, the World Peace Forum will hold its second annual meeting at Tsinghua University. The session's theme is "International Security in a Transforming World: Peace, Development and Innovation."
The World Peace Forum was founded in 2012. The forum is hosted by Tsinghua University and the China Institute of Foreign Affairs. . The WPF is the first high-level international security forum organized by a Chinese institution. The forum is held annually at Tsinghua in the summer with the purpose of providing world strategists a platform to discuss international security issues, on how to deal with global or regional security threats, how to strengthen international security cooperation and how to achieve lasting peace.
In 2012 the first World Peace Forum invited former Peruvian President Alan Garcia, former Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, former Pakistani Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz, former French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin, former Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama, former Russian National Security Council Secretary Ivanov and former Secretary-General of the EU Council Common Foreign and Security Policy High Representative Javier Solana; all together there were 7 former national leaders. The forum included expert scholars from 22 countries and envoys from 36 countries and other foreign guests, nearly 450 people attended the opening ceremony. When he was appointed First Vice President, Xi Jinping attended the opening ceremony and delivered an important speech.
Xi Jinping said in his speech (as cited by Xinhua News Agency), "A country which pursues its own development, security and well-being must also let other countries pursue their development, security and well-being. All countries must take a cooperative approach with an innovative spirit and responsible attitude, stand together and seek win-win cooperation to resolve various problems and challenges, and foster a harmonious and stable international and regional security environment.” This view is considered by foreign media to be the tone for China’s diplomacy for the next decade.
In the 2012 forum, foreign media focused on China’s peaceful rise, China’s concepts and promises for a peaceful world, and Chinese policy for its bordering neighbors. The Forum has made significant strides in helping the international community more accurately understand China.
In 2013, the global and regional security issues remain complex and challenging. The international community is increasingly concerned about the attitudes and behaviors of China in terms of international security. To this end, the 2013 World Peace Forum will focus on international security trends, innovative approaches to the maintenance of international security, international security areas of collaboration, and the development of international security relations with in-depth discussion. Compared to 2012, this year's forum participant’s level, the number of countries and regions as well as the extent of coverage and other aspects will surpass last year’s Forum.
We look forward to the 2013 World Peace Forum and hope to improve on last year and achieve even greater results.
