Youths from different countries participate in the Youth Global Communication Forum, held on March 31 at Tsinghua University in Beijing. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

The Youth Global Communication Forum, held on March 31 at Tsinghua University in Beijing, brought together government officials, scholars, university faculties, students, and media professionals. Participants addressed the role of Generation Z in international communication and public diplomacy.

The forum focused on empowering Gen Zers in global communication and aimed to discuss strategies for building a more interconnected and prosperous international community by harnessing young people's potential.

The forum included a youth dialogue featuring students, influencers and journalists from Belarus, India, Russia, the United States, and China, who shared their unique perspectives on promoting understanding among nations.

Kate Kaligaeva, a graduate student from Belarus at Peking University. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

"I actually saw China's policies being implemented not just in writing but in practice," said Kate Kaligaeva, a graduate student from Belarus at Peking University at the dialogue, sharing her experience of collaborating with Chinese media to tell stories about China's poverty alleviation, rural revitalization, and green development. "I saw infrastructure being built from scratch in the countryside, improving villagers' material and cultural lives."

Thomas J. Scheuer, a Tsinghua University undergraduate student. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Thomas J. Scheuer, a Tsinghua University undergraduate student from the US and table tennis pro, expressed his desire to introduce more foreigners to China through table tennis. Scheuer starred in the Chinese movie Ping Pong: The Triumph, released in January. He emphasized that it was essential to tell China's story passionately and evoke the emotions and strength behind the story.

The forum concluded with the release of a report on empowering Gen Zers in international communication by Shi Anbin, a professor at the School of Journalism and Communication at Tsinghua University.

Professor Shi emphasized the importance of providing young people with an open, diverse, inclusive, and innovative education and training environment to nurture their cross-cultural competence, communication skills, content production abilities, and potential to impact society.