Forum on East Asian cooperation opens in Shandong

The first Shandong Forum on an "East Asian Community of Common Destiny — Past, Present and Future" kicked off in Jinan, capital of Shandong province, on Friday.

Scholars will share their views on how to promote social change and economic cooperation in East Asia during the forum, which is scheduled to end on Saturday.

Park In-kook, president of the Korea Foundation for Advanced Studies, said that as the birthplace of Confuscius, Shandong is the source of Confucian culture, which forms the foundation of East Asian society.

Shandong, therefore, is well suited as a place to discuss the ways to reinterpret the East Asian community's shared philosophical values and wisdom to fit modern times, he said.

"I am confident that our discussions here at the Shandong Forum will provide concrete guidelines on the role everyone has in East Asian integration, as well as shedding light on how to establish a peaceful world order," Park said.

Zhang Rong, president of Shandong University, described the forum as "a platform for scholars sharing their views on how to tackle problems faced by East Asian countries".

The forum is co-sponsored by Shandong University and the Korea Foundation for Advanced Studies.