Aerial photo of Guangzhou.

Taking Guangzhou, capital of South China's Guangdong province, as a window to understand China, the 2024 Understanding China Conference is set to be held in Guangzhou from Dec 2 to 4. The tagline for the event is "Carry through the Reform to the End - Chinese Modernization and New Opportunities for World Development".

The Understanding China Conference has been held seven times since 2013, becoming one of the most influential platforms for the world to understand China's development strategies. This year marks the eighth edition of the conference and the fifth time it has been held in Guangzhou. The conference is jointly hosted by the China Institute for Innovation and Development Strategy, the Chinese People's Institute of Foreign Affairs and the People's Government of Guangdong Province, with the Guangzhou municipal people's government as the organizer. The event includes an opening ceremony, keynote speeches, six parallel seminars, 14 thematic forums, two closed-door seminars, and a series of other supporting activities.

More than 600 participants had confirmed they will attend the conference as of Nov 28 – a record high. Among them are over 100 representatives from around the world, including the Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions, nine former heads of state or former prime ministers, 16 minister-level guests, and two foreign diplomatic envoys in China. More than 200 Chinese participants are expected to deliver speeches at the conference.

Participants of the conference come from more than 30 countries and regions. Among the former heads of state or former prime ministers attending in person at the conference are former Ethiopian president Mulatu Teshome, Nepal's former prime minister Jhala Nath Khanal, and former Belgian prime minister Yves Leterme, while former British prime minister Gordon Brown is set to attend online.

Xu Weixin, president of the China Institute for Innovation and Development Strategy and former vice-president of the Party School of the Communist Party of the China Central Committee, said that this conference has the tagline "Carrying through the Reform to the End - Chinese Modernization and New Opportunities for World Development," which is highly relevant to the times.

The conference has four notable features in its agenda setting. Firstly, it will promote the global significance of China's further comprehensive deepening of reform and the advancement of Chinese modernization. Secondly, it will showcase the characteristics and achievements of Chinese modernization, demonstrating that China's further comprehensive deepening of reform will inject vitality into global development. Thirdly, it will promote traditional Chinese culture and facilitate cultural exchanges and mutual learning. And lastly, it will present the unique advantages and development prospects of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, demonstrating its importance as a pioneer in advancing Chinese modernization.