Peking University, June 2, 2012: “2012 Sino-Australia Forum of Future Leaders: A Dialogue” was held on May 21 to 23 in Canberra, Australia.

The forum was first launched in 2008 by Peking University (PKU), Griffith University and the government of Queensland, Australia, aiming at promoting Sino-Australian cooperation and enhancing political, commercial and academic comprehension.

This year, the forum coincided with the 40th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries, and 34 students and faculty members from China, Australia, Laos, New Zealand and other countries were invited to participate in it. Eight graduate students from the School of Foreign Languages and the School of Environment attended the forum on behalf of PKU.

Mr Clinton Dines, Executive Director, Caledonia Asia

The forum was chaired by Professor Andrew O'Neill, director of the Institute of Asian Studies at Griffith University, who made the keynote speech on the opportunities and challenges brought about by a more frequent interaction between the two countries.

After the keynote speech, scholars and other guests invited by the forum presented their different perspectives on Sino-Australian relations in the symposiums. These discussions covered fields of politics, economy, culture, military, education and so on. Among them, Professor Ding Dou from the PKU School of International Relations delivered a report on the status quo of Sino-Australia relations. The students could communicate with experts face to face after each symposium.

Student representative

A new section of the forum was that eight students were given the opportunity to voice their opinions on the deeply concerned issues of the Sino-Australia relations, which brought refreshing topics and ideas to the discussions. 

Written by: Feng Xiaomang
Edited by: Yan Binghan
Source: PKU News, Chinese