Peking University, Nov. 8, 2012 - This past weekend marked the 9th meeting of Beijing Forum, the annual international summit sponsored by Peking University, the Chinese Ministry of Education, and the Korea Foundation for Advanced Studies to promote academic development and social progress around the world.
Hosted in China’s capital city, the world’s top leaders in academia, government, and business gather each year at Beijing Forum to speak on the theme “Harmony of Civilizations and Prosperity for All”. Over the years, Beijing Forum has fostered the confluence of ideas between 3,500 participants from over 70 countries, with the belief that the progress of human society relies on the promotion and safeguarding of peaceful integration among civilizations.
During the opening ceremony, held November 2 at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse, remarks were given by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and former Prime Minister of the Republic of Korea Ro Jai-bong, among other distinguished speakers. The keynote presentation at Beijing Forum 2012 was delivered by former President of the Republic of India, APJ Dr. Abdul Kalam.
In his presentation, Dr. Kalam shared his vision of a “Livable Planet Earth” as part of his India 2020 development plan. “Nations unite when they share a common urge,” he remarked. “With pressures as pertinent as the climate and the environment, I urge delegates to consider a “Livable Planet Earth” where we address problems of management, water, energy, healthcare, and education for 7 billion people.” Closing his speech, Dr. Kalam commented that tolerance and a righteous heart are essential to human development.
During his tenure as president from 2002-2007, Dr. Kalam positioned India as a knowledge superpower, stressing the importance of technology and innovation for India’s future. A pioneer in India’s development of aerospace engineering, Dr. Kalam has incorporated the evolution of technology as a key component to his India 2020 development plan. “This evolution of technology”, he told Peking University News, “is vital to developing as a knowledge superpower.
Following his keynote address, Dr. Kalam spoke with Peking University News about the role of cross-sector exchange and the future of development in Asia.
Q: How can Asian countries work together to deepen cooperation and coordination in reaching their own development goals?
A: The service sector in India is very good, and manufacturing is China’s strength. So, both countries can join together to develop a new product for the world. That is how China and India can cooperate.
Q: This innovative product, how can it be used to improve the lives of those living in outside of urban technology centers, like the 700 million people living in the rural villages of India?
A: My field is sustainable development, and my main question is this: How do you transfer the technology of the product and provide adequate amenities in rural areas? You need technology for that, you need energy for that, so what I am working on at the moment is what we call a sustainable development system. It can be applied to rural areas, to villages, aiming to transform education using advanced technology and management techniques.
Q: What do you view as the number one problem facing Asia today?
A: Asian countries, we are traditionally great countries of cooperation. What Asian countries need today is what is called tolerance- tolerance for specific views, for the different religions, tolerance for various political systems. So, one thing that Peking University has done recently to address this problem is to start the Institute of Ethics.
Reported by: Alexandria Liu
Edited by: Zhang Jiang
