The 14th Beijing Humboldt Forum held in Beijing

The 14th Beijing Humboldt Forum was held at the University of International Business and Economics from Saturday to Sunday, bringing together experts, scholars and business representatives from China and abroad to discuss topics including the green economy, cultural heritage, health management and the integration of artificial intelligence.

Hosted by UIBE, the two-day forum attracted representatives from the Ministry of Education's Center for Language Education and Cooperation, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, the German Lithium Institute, Management World, the World Health Organization, the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), Ruhr University Bochum and Beijing Xianglong Asset Management Co Ltd, among other institutions.

Opening the forum, Huang Baoyin, Party secretary of the UIBE, said the themes of this year's forum continued the academic tradition of the Beijing Humboldt Forum while addressing major challenges facing contemporary development.

Over the past 75 years, UIBE has developed alongside China's opening-up and economic development, cultivating professionals with a global perspective, professional expertise and a strong sense of social responsibility, Huang said.

Looking ahead, the university will continue to strengthen its international engagement and leverage its advantages in international business and education to make greater contributions to China's development and its engagement with the world, Huang said.

Wolfgang Schüssel, former Austrian chancellor, delivered a video address at the opening ceremony. Zhu Min, former deputy managing director of the International Monetary Fund and former deputy governor of the People's Bank of China, Cao Diefeng, deputy director of the Ministry of Education's Center for Language Education and Cooperation, and Ralf Wehrspohn, director of the German Lithium Institute, among other representatives, also addressed the forum and congratulated UIBE on its 75th anniversary.

During the annual report session of the Beijing Humboldt Forum, Christian Tietje, former president of Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, delivered a report titled "Transnational Value Chains and Transnational Investment", examining the development of global value chains and cross-border investment.

UIBE President Zhao Zhongxiu delivered a keynote speech on the role of artificial intelligence in the restructuring of China's supply chains. 

According to Zhao, the key factor determining the impact of AI is not a particular model or individual technology, but the ability to transform intelligence into organizational capabilities spanning tasks, enterprises, supply chains and the broader macroeconomy.

China is expected to pursue an open and systemic AI development approach centered on people's well-being, while embracing AI-driven transformation and applying it to social and economic development, he said.

Following the opening ceremony, participants held discussions around the four major themes of the forum: green economy, cultural heritage, health management and "AI plus."

Eleven sub-forums were held, covering a wide range of topics.

Hundreds of experts, scholars and representatives from the business and political communities from China, Germany, Austria, the United States, Argentina, Canada, Madagascar, Tonga and other countries attended the event.

The forum also provided a platform for exchanges between Chinese and international academic institutions and organizations, with participants sharing perspectives on global economic development, technological transformation, sustainable development and cross-cultural communication.

Dong Yuan contributed to this story.