On April 24th, the Silk Road Think Tank Association (SRTA), an association initiated by the International Department of the CPC Central Committee (IDCPC), hosted a thematic cloud forum under the theme of working together to meet public health security challenges and build the health silk road, and also held a meeting of the SRTA International Advisory Board.

Song Tao, Minister of the IDCPC, delivered a written address. He said, the COVID-19 pandemic is a common threat of human society. In the face of it, General Secretary Xi Jinping has personally commended and deployed relevant work, and required to give top priority to the life safety and health of all Chinese. The Chinese government and people have waged a people's war against this pandemic. The epidemic in China has been basically brought under control, and important achievements have been made in the fight against the epidemic thanks to arduous efforts. China’s decisive measures, positive progress achieved and the determination in fighting against the disease have won widespread praise from the international community. China has upheld the concept of a community with a shared future for mankind, carried forward international humanitarian spirit, and actively provided epidemic-stricken countries with support and assistance within its due capacity. The COVID-19 outbreak has once again highlighted the urgency of strengthening global public health cooperation and the importance of promoting cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative and building a community with a shared future for mankind. It is expected that SRTA members could work together to advocate cooperation in epidemic control, spread a reasonable voice, build a silk road of health and promote cooperation and development, so as to make greater contributions to mankind’s joint response to the public health security challenges and the building of a silk road of health.

The SRTA International Advisory Board held a panel discussion on World in COVID19 Pandemic——How to Turn Crisis into Opportunity? Members of the SRTA International Advisory Broad delivered speeches respectively including Danilo Turk, former President of Slovenia; Zlatko Lagumdzija, former Prime Minister of Bosnia and Herzegovina; Essam Sharaf, former Prime Minister of Egypt; Dominique de Villepin, former Prime Minister of France; George Papandreou, former Prime Minister of Greece and President of the Socialist International; Hassan Ghafourifard, former Vice President of Iran; Mizengo Peter Pinda, former Prime Minister of Tanzania; Bhokin Bhalakula, former President of Congress of Thailand; and Hassan Ghafourifard, former Vice President of Iran. The meeting also issued a Statement of the International Advisory Board of the Silk Road Think Tank Association on Strengthening International Cooperation Against COVID-19.

Guo Yezhou, Vice-minister of the IDCPC and Co-Chairman of SRTA Council, attended the forum. He chaired the opening ceremony and the meeting of the SRTA International Advisory Board.

The forum, organized Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies of Renmin University and China Center for Contemporary World Studies of the IDCPC, was held via video link. In addition to the meeting of the SRTA International Advisory Board, the forum also invited experts to a panel discussion under the theme Building A Silk Road of Health Amid Pandemic——How to Travel Far and Safe? More than 30 politicians and think tank scholars from over 10 countries were present at the SRTA Thematic Cloud Forum.

Enditem