International Forum on Mutual Learning of Civilizations to Open in Macau

On Tuesday, the Media Cooperation Forum under the Belt and Road Initiative for 2026 is taking place in Fuzhou, located in southeastern Fujian Province, China. The event gathered over 200 foreign delegates from 100 countries, as well as representatives from international and regional organizations, and 182 media organizations and institutions.

According to People's Daily Online, participants noted that the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), which has transformed from a Chinese proposal into global actions, has become a popular international public good and the world's largest platform for economic cooperation in terms of scale, coverage, and influence.

Forum participants also emphasized the need for joint work among media organizations from different countries to cover and disseminate significant stories about the Silk Road, promote policy communication and exchange between peoples, and foster a favorable social environment.

The forum is held under the slogan 'Striving for common understanding and common aspirations along the Belt and Road' and is jointly organized by People's Daily and the Fujian Provincial Government. The program includes an opening ceremony, three sub-forums, and a demonstration of achievements within the framework of cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative.

Following the conclusion of the forum, joint trips are planned for Chinese and international media representatives across Fujian Province and other regions of China for joint reporting.

Among the participants were Iranian representatives: Mohammad Sarfi, editor-in-chief of Tehran Times, and Mostafa Entezari Geravi, managing director of Khabar Foori.

The Central Asian International Education Forum opened in Tashkent on October 28. During his address to the participants, the President of Uzbekistan, Shavkat Mirziyoyev, called for strengthening cooperation between the region's universities, increasing the number of joint educational programs and scientific research, and expanding student and academic exchanges.

In his speech, Mirziyoyev emphasized that the strategic goal in this area is to transform Central Asia into a space of mutual trust and friendship, a unified intellectual field combining science, education, advanced technologies, and innovation.

The President noted that global problems cannot be solved alone. Issues of energy and water security, climate change, and shifts in the labor market require the region's countries to combine knowledge and resources.

He referred to a World Bank forecast stating that the Central Asian economy will grow by 5.8% by 2026. Mirziyoyev named the young generation the region's greatest asset, noting that the population is about 85 million people. He stated that high-quality modern education is the most effective way to transform this demographic potential into intellectual power.

Furthermore, the president mentioned a recently adopted decree that consolidates the management of preschool and school education, vocational and higher education, as well as science into a single system in Uzbekistan. This reform aims to ensure continuity at all stages, from acquiring basic knowledge to becoming a specialist or researcher.

Mirziyoyev predicted that attitudes towards many professions will change over the next decade, and entirely new specialties will emerge. Therefore, the education system must cultivate creativity, responsibility, independent thinking skills, and continuous learning in young people.

Key priorities include strengthening the role of teachers, updating curricula, providing career counseling for in-demand professions, and improving links between schools, technical colleges, universities, and industry.

In his speech, the necessity of expanding opportunities for girls, children from rural and remote areas, as well as young people with special educational needs, was also highlighted. Mirziyoyev called this an important condition for building a just and inclusive society. Other tasks include developing artificial intelligence, digital technologies, and modern engineering fields, transforming universities into research and development centers, and supporting young scientists.