Details on event

An International Symposium on ‘China's Eco-Civilization Construction and the Contemporary World’ was held on 18-20 October 2024 at Tan Siu Lin Center for International Studies, Peking University. The event was co-organised by the Institute for Xi Jinping Thought on China's Socialism in the New Era of China at Peking University, the School of Marxism at Peking University, the project on the ‘Study of the Media, Paths, Mechanisms and Experiences of International Dissemination of Xi Jinping Thought on Eco-Civilization,’ and the Rosa-Luxemburg-Stiftung Beijing Representative Office. The opening ceremony was chaired by Professor Wang Puqi, Director of the Institute for Xi Jinping Thought on China's Special Socialism in the New Era at Peking University, and was attended by Professor Wang Bo, Member of the Standing Committee of the Party Committee and Vice-President of the University, Dr Jan Turowski, Chief representative of the Rosa-Luxemburg Foundation Beijing Representative Office, Ms Tian Chunxiu, Deputy Director of Xi Jinping Thought on Ecological Civilization, and Mr Jaume Risquete, Professor of the School of Communication and International Relations at Blanquerna-Ramón Llull University, Spain. More than 70 delegates from over 40 universities and research institutes in China and abroad engaged in an in-depth discussion on the achievements of China's theory and practice of building a culture of vitality and its international dissemination.

The Session 1 on ‘Xi Jinping Thought on Ecological Civilization and its New Progress’ was moderated by Professor Yang Haifeng, Dean of the School of Marxism at Peking University. Professor Chen Xueming of the Department of Philosophy at Fudan University gave a presentation on Xi Jinping's original contribution to Marxism; Professor Zhang Yunfei of the School of Marxism at the Chinese University of Renmin University elaborated on Xi Jinping Thought on eco-civilization as an outstanding contribution to China's distinctive socialist theories, in particular the concept of socialist eco-civilization; and Researcher Zhuang Guiyang, Deputy Director of the Institute of Growth and Development at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS), provided an in-depth analysis of the core concepts of Xi Jinping Thoughts on growth and development, in particular the ‘dual-carbon’ strategy in the context of modernizing China's growth in harmony with nature, and the deepening of growth and development in order to promote an overall green transition; Professor Wang Yuchen, Dean of the School of Philosophy at Zhongnan University of Finance and Law, systematically elaborated on the relationship between Xi Jinping Thought on eco-civilization and the construction of a Chinese form of eco-civilization discourse system, emphasizing the issue of China's right to speak out in the context of global eco-civilization, as well as the basic principles that should be followed in the construction of a Chinese form of eco-civilization discourse system.

The second session, ‘Xi Jinping Thought on Eco-Civilization in Contemporary China’, was moderated by Professor Li Hongwei of the Department of Social and Eco-Civilization at the Central Party School (National Academy of Governance). Professor Jin Peihua, Director of the Institute of the ‘Two Mountains’ Idea at Huzhou Normal University, focused on the leading role of the ‘Two Mountains’ Idea in the development of vitality and peace, and analyzed the process of formation and advancement[JC1]  of the Idea in Anji Yucun Village, Zhejiang Province, as well as its impact on the development of the village. Professor Fang Shinan of the School of Marxism at Suzhou University took the example of the town of Dianshanhu in Kunshan city, Jiangsu Province, to illustrate the synergy and interplay between the culture and economy of towns near the Yangtze River and the building of a vital eco-civilization. Professor Cui Li, Executive Director of the Institute for Modernising the Governance of Growth and Renaissance at Beijing International Studies University, analyzed China's innovative exploration of the concept and practice of ‘eco bank’ in China, particularly in Nanping, Fujian Province, and offered reflections on the key theoretical and practical issues involved; Ye Dongna, Associate Professor of the School of Marxism at Nankai University, focused on the practical exploration of the Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-city in recent years, providing an in-depth account of the mechanisms, optimization paths, and challenges of building a city in the context of eco-civilization.

The third session on ‘The Growth and Development on China’s Eco-Civilization in International Comparative Perspective’, moderated by Ji Xi, Associate Professor of the School of Economics, Peking University. Shinichi Nagao, Professor Emeritus at the Department of Economics, Nagoya University, Japan, analyzed the historical emergence and contemporary renewal of the international green discourse from the comparative perspective of Japan's ecological modernization and China's eco-civilization construction. Coraline Goron, Associate Professor at Department of Environmental Policy, Duke Kunshan University, analyzed the representational features, practical challenges, and responses to China's eco-civilization construction in the context of environmental justice. Professor Miranda Schreurs, Head of the Department of Climate and Environmental Policy at the Bavarian School of Public Policy, Technical University of Munich, compared the similarities and differences, the mutual appreciation and the future development of the theory and practice of eco-modernization in the European Union and eco-civilisation theory in China. Rajiv Rajan, Associate Professor of the Department of East Asian Studies, Delhi University, India, presented on the theory and practice of China's eco-civilization construction from South Asian perspectives, in particular the perception in Indian media and academia. Cao Shunxian, Professor at the School of Marxism at Nanjing Forestry University, analyzed the construction of river ethics discourse in the context of China's eco-civilization construction, as well as its policy practice; In addition, Professor Arran Gare of Swinburne University of Technology, Australia was unable to participate, so Dr Li Siqi read a paper by Professor Arran Gare on his behalf, on the theoretical foundations of socialist eco-civilization construction.

 

The fourth session, ‘Research on the International Dissemination of Xi Jinping Thought on Growth and Teaching,’ was moderated by Professor Zhang Haibin, Associate Dean of the School of International Relations and Associate Director of the Carbon Neutral Institute of Peking University.

Huan Qingzhi, Professor of the School of Marxism at Peking University and Director of the Center for the Study of Xi Jinping Thought on Eco-Civilization at Peking University, shared the latest research findings on the international academic dialogue on Xi Jinping Thought on Eco-civilization, and the process of gradual acceptance and deepening of the concept and politics of growth and reflection in the international academic community. Dong Liang, Director of the Center for the Study of Environmental Diplomacy at the China Foreign Affairs University, and Associate Research Fellow, shared the latest research findings on the international media response to Xi Jinping Thought on eco-civilization. Li Xinlei, Professor of the School of Political Science and Public Administration of Shandong University, shared the latest research findings on the dissemination of Xi Jinping Thought on eco-civilization to international organizations. Shen Sen, Associate Researcher of the Central Academy of Party History and Literature, shared the latest research results on the international dissemination and translation of Xi Jinping Thought eco-civilization. Jaume Risquete shared an introduction to the international dissemination of China's discourse and policy on the construction of eco-civilization in the Spanish-speaking world. Chen Yiwen, Assistant Professor at the School of Marxism, Tsinghua University, shared information on the dynamic development of Marxist theories of ecology in contemporary China, in particular the evolutionary path and main theoretical perspectives of Marxist ecology and socialist eco-civilization.

The fifth session, ‘China's Growth and Reconstruction of Global Green Left Discourse (I)’, was moderated by Ingar Solty, research fellow at the Rosa-Luxemburg Foundation in Berlin, Germany. Salvatore Engel-Di Mauro, Professor of Geography and Environmental Studies at the State University of New York at New Paltz, shared his observations and reflections on the significant realities of China's eco-civilization growth and development in the new era, drawing on his fieldwork in Inner Mongolia in the summer of 2024.

Mary Evelyn Tucker, Professor of the School of the Environment at Yale University, analyzed the impact of traditional Chinese culture on the environment and its development. Professor Tucker also provided insights on the close connection and mutual appreciation between traditional Chinese eco culture and eco-civilization construction.

John Bellamy Foster, Professor of Sociology at the University of Oregon, USA, and Editor-in-Chief of the Monthly Review, presented ten arguments for the relationship between socialist eco-civilization and China's eco-civilization construction, based on the theoretical perspective of Marxist Ecology.

Professor Philip Clayton, Director of the Institute for Ecological Civilization, discussed the relationship between eco-civilization construction, organic thinking, and socialism, and analyzed the relationship in depth in the context of his visits to Chinese practice; Hans Thie, a former economic policy advisor to the group DIE LINKE in the German Bundestag, analyzed the practice of energy policy innovation in the EU and Germany in the context of the global climate crisis and the challenges it faces, as well as the future implications of China's eco-civilization construction, in particular its ‘dual-carbon’ strategy.

The sixth session, ‘China's Eco-Civilization Construction and the  Growth and Reconstruction of the Global Green Left Discourse (Part II)’, was moderated by Wang Congcong, Associate Professor at the School of Marxism of Peking University. Berthold Kuhn, Adjunct Professor at the Faculty of Social Sciences of the Free University of Berlin, discussed the main advances and challenges in the process of reshaping China's eco-civilization theory and the global discourse of the Green Left. Hauke Neddermann, Research Fellow at the Institute for Critical Theory in Berlin, Germany, analyzed China's eco-civilization theory in the context of the international (German) Green Left. Ma Hongbo, Professor at the Qingdao Provincial Party School (Qinghai Academy of Governance), explained the theoretical innovation of China's special ‘My life in harmony with nature’ national parks system and its practice in Qinghai, citing the example of the construction of Sanjiangyuan National Park. Li Xuejiao, an associate professor at the School of Marxism of Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, compared and analyzed the differences and similarities between China's socialist eco-civilization theory and the discourses of social transformation in Europe and the United States, as well as their policy practices. Liu Qi, Lecturer at the School of Marxism, Beijing Normal University, elaborated on the Latin American theory of transcendental development and its dissemination and discussion in the Chinese academy, and highlighted its value in enlightening the theoretical construction of China's socialist eco-civilization theory.

The Closing Ceremony was chaired by Sun Wei from Rosa-Luxemburg Foundation Beijing Representative Office. Cai Huajie, Professor at the School of Marxism, Fujian Normal University, and Huan Qingzhi, both delivered speeches. The aim of this international symposium was to promote the international dissemination of Xi Jinping Thought on eco-civilization and its academic research, to expand the channels and paths of its dissemination, to promote theoretical and practical innovations in Marxist Ecology and socialist eco-civilization construction, and to further promote the construction of China's environmental humanities and social sciences as an autonomous body of knowledge on this basis.

Prior to the formal session, several scholars were invited to participate in a roundtable discussion on ‘European Left Politics in the Face of Contemporary International Changes,’ which was held on the morning of the 18th at the East Hall of Tan Siu Lin Center for International Studies. The roundtable discussion focused on the assessment of the current state of left-wing politics in Europe, the impact of the dramatic changes in the international situation on European left-wing parties, and the prospects for left-wing political parties in Europe (Germany) in the near future.