Global China Dialogue series (GCDs)

Worl in Turmoil

The road to peace and development is strewn with numerous risks and challenges. The international system and order are constantly changing, and there are profound changes in the balance of power.
       All countries, whether developing or developed, are having to adapt to this ever-shifting international and social environment, while the process of modernization in some countries has been interrupted or has spilled out to create global turmoil as a result of the conflicts and contradictions brought about by cultural, religious and social transformation.
       At the same time, rapid developments in technology and society have had a profound impact on patterns of thinking, behaviour and interaction and on the moral principles of different countries and groups.
       They have also constantly challenged established ideas of good governance, including the functions of government in the globalization era and the pros and cons of the participation of non-government organizations.
       The changes and challenges are myriad: digital technology, mobile communications and the popularization of the internet, the coexistence of cultural homogenization and diversity, ethnic and religious conflicts, the collision between giant multinational corporations and national sovereignty, changes in social norms as a result of scientific innovations, the decisive influence of regional economies on national economic development, the constraints of climate change and the discovery and adoption of new energy sources. Cultural diversity and transculturalism have become part of people’s daily life.
       Confronted with such challenges, national leaders devise development strategies that reflect both the status quo and their long-term goals. Business leaders and entrepreneurs also invest substantial resources in studying the impact of the changing international economy and financial order on the development of enterprises. Experts and scholars focus on the efficiency of global governance and cultural factors that have quietly exerted great influence, and explore how culture and ideology enhance global and social governance.
       Such efforts and initiatives are moves in the same direction: towards reaching an in-depth understanding of the knowledge systems of the human community and the development of a ‘global cultural sphere’ beyond any single culture, state or nationality, under the condition of global governance. Thus, the theme of the development and governance of China, Europe and the world has gradually become one of the key research interests of scholars worldwide.

China in a Changing World

China and the Chinese people are currently making an important contribution to the world order and shaping a global society. What are the important global issues that concern China? What are the Chinese ways of thinking and doing things with respect to global issues? We wish to engage Western audiences in dialogues on topics that arise from these questions, including development, education, economics, migration, the family, the environment, public health, human security and global governance.
       For nearly three decades, China has been implementing a ‘going out’ (走出去) policy to encourage its enterprises to invest overseas. The policy embraces not only the economy but also finance, language, culture, sciences, technology, social sciences, publishing and the media, and under its provisions an international investment bank (亚投行) has been established.
       Through his visits to 55 countries, President Xi Jinping himself has promoted the Belt and Road (B&R一带一路) regional development strategy and China’s governance model (治国理政). In his recent visit to the UK, he said ‘As our capabilities grow, we shall shoulder more responsibilities to the best of our ability and contribute China’s wisdom and strength to the world’s economic growth and global governance.’ In his keynote speech at the United Nations Office in Geneva in January 2017 Xi Jinping clarified the basic principles of China's participation in global governance. They are stay committed to building a world of lasting peace through dialogue and consultation, build a world of common security for all through joint efforts, build a world of common prosperity through win-win cooperation, build an open and inclusive world through exchanges and mutual learning, and make our world clean and beautiful by pursuing green and low-carbon development.

The Global China Dialogue series (GCDs)

In order to jointly build the human destiny community, dialogue is inessentially needed between China and the world on the above mentioned range of common concerns that our mankind faces. The Global China Dialogue series (GCDs) focus on these issues to enhance public understanding of current global affairs and common interests through public dialogue and discussion between Chinese and non-Chinese academics, experts, professionals and practitioners and interested laypeople, from interdisciplinary and comparative perspectives.
       In addition to universities, research institutions and professional think tanks, the GCDs also work closely with Chinese and other governments, international organizations, media and publishing units to track global hot topics over the long term period. It provides a high-end platform for the global public interests of China and Chinese participation in building global society and comprehensive governance of global society.  
        The GCDs are ongoing social creative activity, which brings Chinese and Western scholars and opinion leaders together in an ongoing project in social creativity, exploring transculturality and cultural generativity, contributing to the development of a ‘global cultural sphere’ beyond any single culture, state or nationality.
       The GCDs also develop the rules of ‘civilized dialogue’, encouraging both sides to listen to the other, understand cultural differences, respect local customs, accept different perspectives and acknowledge the common destiny of humanity. In particular, it explores new global governance, encompassing national governments, international organizations, multinational companies, NGOs and citizens, with a mission to build a harmonious, symbiosis-based human destiny community.
       The past and future programme of the series have been developed by continuing to work within the framework of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) which accord with UNESCO’s mission of defending peace and the conditions for building sustainable development world through creative intelligence, as follows:

• 2014 GCD I - The experience of China's modernization from a comparative perspective
• 2015 GCD II - Transculturality and New Global Governance
• 2016 GCD III - Sustainability and Global Governance for Climate Change
• 2017 GCD IV: The Belt and Road (B&R) - Transcultural Cooperation for Shared Goals
• 2018 GCD V: Governance for Global Justice
• 2019 GCD VII: Governance for World Peace
• 2020 GCD VI: Reforming Global Governance

The Organizers

        Global China Institute (Charity No.: 1154640; an affiliate member of the Academy of Social Sciences) has an overall mission of bringing comparisons with China into a worldwide conversation for the benefit of all. With its network and publications, the Journal of China in Comparative Perspective (JCCP) and book series, the GCDs aim to bring Chinese and Western thinkers together in debate and research that will generate shared endeavours to create a world that benefits all humankind. The GCDs showcase transcultural practice on global issues and governance by organizing events collaboratively between academia, government, international organizations and NGOs.
         The GCDs were founded by CCPN Global, YES Global (oung Entrepreneur Society Global) and UVIC Group in 2014. Official recognition came when GCD II became the only event to have a global and social scientific focus in the government designated 2015 Year of UK-China Cultural Exchange with the theme ‘Transculturality and New Global Governance’. It has received enthusiastic support from the Cultural Office of the Chinese Embassy to the UK, the Ministry of Culture of China, the British Council, the British Sociological Association, the Chinese Association of World Politics Studies, academic institutions and all the supporters and sponsors that are participating in this event.
        The GCDs are now organized by Global China Institute in partnership with the Lau China Institute, King’s College London, the China Media Centre of the University of Westminster, and Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies at Renmin University of China (RDCY), China.

Organizing Committee

Chairs  

• Professor Xiangqun Chang, Director of Global China Institute; Honorary Professor of University College London 
• Professor Kerry Brown,  Director of  Lau China Institute, King’s College London
• Professor Hugo de Burgh, Director of the China Media Centre, University of Westminster

Members (in alphabetical order)

• Professor Martin Albrow FAcSS, Honorary Vice-President of the British Sociological Association (BSA), Emeritus Professor of the University of Wales, UK 
• Dr Dongning Feng, Senior Lecturer, former Director of the Centre for Translation Studies, SOAS, University of London, UK
• Mr Chris Henson, Membership Secretary, Society for Anglo-Chinese Understanding, UK
• Professor Martin Jacques, Senior Fellow at the Department of Politics and International Studies, University of Cambridge, UK; Visiting Professor at Tsinghua University, China
• Professor LI Qiang, Dean, Faculty of Social Sciences, Tsinghua University; former President of Chinese Sociological Association, China    
• Professor Wei Li FAcSS, Chair of Centre for Applied Linguistics, University College of London, UK
• Professor LUO Jiaojiang, Dean of Institute of Social Development, Wuhan University, China; Deputy Director of  Global China Institute, UK  
• Professor Tony McEnery FAcSS, FRSA, Interim Chief Executive and Research Director, Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), UK
• Professor ZHANG Letian, Director of the Centre for Social and Cultural Anthropology, Director of Contemporary China Social Life Data and Research Centre (CCSLC), Fudan University, China; and Co-Director of Global China Institute, UK

Supporters (in alphabetical order)

• Centre for Applied Linguistics, University College London, UK
• Centre for European Reform (ECR), UK
• Centre for Translation Studies, SOAS, University of London, UK
• China–Europa Forum, France
• Chopsticks Club, UK
• Contemporary China Social Life Data and Research Center (CCSLC), Fudan University, China
• ESRC Centre for Corpus Approaches to Social Science, UK
• Global Century Press, UK
• Global China Unit, UK
• Journal of China in Comparative Perspective (JCCP)
• London Society for Chinese Studies (LSCS), UK
• Research Centre for Social Cultural Anthropology, Fudan University, China
• Research Centre for Social Theory, Peking University, China
• Research Centre for Studies of Sociological Theory and Methods, Renmin University of China
• Society for Anglo–Chinese Understanding (SACU), UK
• The British Postgraduate Network for Chinese Studies (BPCS), UK
• UVIC Group, UK
• Zhejiang UK Association (ZJUKA), UK

Sponsors (in alphabetical order)

• Agile Think Tank, China
• National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), China
• Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies at Renmin University of China (RDCY), China
• Research Centre for Discourse and Communications, Zhenjiang University of Media and Communication, China
• Shanghai Tenly Software Incorporated  
• The Institute of Social Development, Wuhan University, China 

(to be updated)