Young people hailed as key to advancing common modernization

Participants at the 2026 China-CEEC Young Political Leaders Forum emphasized that, despite nations following unique paths to modernization, young people have become pivotal forces in driving common development and vowed to join hands to pursue shared progress on the journey to modernization.

Themed "A Joint March Toward Modernization for China and CEEC Under New Circumstances: Youth Actions and Contributions", the forum is being held in Wuhan, Hubei province, on Sunday and Monday.

It has brought together more than 100 participants, including young political leaders from 14 Central and Eastern European countries, and representatives from Chinese government departments, media organizations, and academic institutions.

Addressing the opening session on Sunday, Liu Haixing, head of the International Department of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, highlighted the long-term China-CEEC friendship, and stressed that win-win cooperation has always been the defining feature of bilateral ties.

According to official data, trade between China and CEEC hit $152 billion in 2025, nearly tripling the volume recorded in 2012 when the two sides launched the China-CEEC Cooperation mechanism.

Liu noted that while there exists no one-size-fits-all model for modernization, young people across regions are bound by common goals. "Young political leaders are visionary, open-minded, and innovative, and have played an active role in promoting exchanges on modernization experiences," he said.

"Many young Chinese officials and scholars have traveled to traditional industrial hubs in CEEC to learn about industrial upgrading, while a growing number of young people from CEEC have come to China to exchange ideas on people's livelihoods and social governance," he added.