The Third Conference of the CICA Non-Governmental forum opening ceremony and plenary session attended by statesman and social activists alike convened December 18th- 19th in Chongqing. The establishment of the CICA Non-Governmental Forum is an important initiative launched by Chinese President Xi Jinping at the CICA Shanghai Summit, 2014.

The Third Conference of the CICA Non-Governmental forum opening ceremony and plenary session attended by statesman and social activists alike convened December 18th- 19th in Chongqing.

President Xi has reportedly said, “China is not a country only about China. It is a country in Asia that belongs to the entire world.” In the spirit of those words, CICA non-governmental conference focused discussions on the implementation of common, comprehensive, cooperative, and sustainable security goals to fulfill the role and potential of social forces in member states. Together member states negotiated effective paths towards addressing regional security and development issues.

Xia Baolong, the Vice Chairman and Secretary-General of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), said during the opening ceremony, “We see unprecedented changes in the international community… How to promote peace, stability, and development is a task for all Asian countries,” and that the forum’s role is to facilitate cooperation among Asian countries, creating an Asian community— relationships based on respect and trust. “It’s essential for us to safeguard international affairs and to oppose any efforts of foreign governments to interfere in domestic affairs. “China will not interfere in others' domestic affairs, and China will not allow others to interfere in China’s domestic affairs,” he said.

The conference aims to build a network for the people-to-people exchanges that support all parties, aligning with the conference’s theme of “Building an Asian Community of Shared Destiny.”

Chamal Rajapaksa, Sri Lankan politician who was Speaker of the Parliament from 2010 to 2015, said that cooperation between Sri Lanka and China is paramount to expanding agriculture and other industries and that this cooperation is not only necessary but historical.  “Sri lank and China have enjoyed a productive relationship since ancient times. We want to continue with our shared history and commitment to humanity, enhancing mutual economic benefits, prosperity, and common security.” One major area of mutual learning highlighted by Rajapaksa was security. He expressed his country’s appreciation towards China’s support after the Sri Lanka bombing earlier this year and said that there is much to be learned from Chinese counterparts. “Sri Lanka should learn more about the anti-extremism campaign in Xinjiang.”

Rashid Alimov, the former minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Tajikistan from 1992 to 1994, said that in addition to security concerns in the region, “This is an occasion to discuss solutions to the questions of the changing international landscape,” posing a question, “To create a better future, what can Asia do?” He noted that many Asian countries were on the rise. “Asian countries are contributing to the rapid development of world economies. The belt and road initiative has found support among many Asian countries and contributes to integration, as a result, more foreign investors have been coming to the region,” he said, citing numbers that illustrate 43% of total investment in Asia is made up of foreign investors, which has helped in creating 900,000 jobs across Asia. According to the UN, poverty has been alleviated immensely. “Out of all the Asian countries, China has made the most progress. For China eliminating poverty is paramount, and they have committed to the issue, we should learn from [them].

Speakers during the opening ceremony also discussed the regions changing role on the international stage and that Asian institutions will become increasingly important in facilitating conversations between not just countries in Asia but around the world and will be of the utmost importance to solving international problems and threats.

Muratbek Imanaliev, foreign minister of Kyrgyzstan and current Secretary-General of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, said, “We would like to shift the world order from confrontation to cooperation.”

The Conference was hosted by the Chinese People’s Institute of Foreign Affairs, organized by the People’s Government of Chongqing Municipality and supported by the China Public Diplomacy Association.