On December 15, Minister Xu Xueyuan delivered a video speech at the inauguration ceremony of the Centre on Contemporary China and the World (CCCW), the University of Hong Kong upon invitation. Renowned scholars and representatives from various communities from China and the United States attended the event themed as “A Renewed Hub and a New Horizon”, which included keynote speeches, fireside conversations and panel discussions. 

On behalf of Ambassador Xie Feng, Minister Xu extended warmest congratulations on the founding of the CCCW. She briefed the audience on the common understandings and outcomes reached by the two heads of state at the summit meeting in San Francisco, and emphasized that San Francisco should not be the finish line, but a new starting point for stabilizing and improving China-U.S. relations. China is ready to work together with the U.S. side to turn the San Francisco vision into reality. As China’s window to the world and a gateway for the world to share the dividends of China's development, Hong Kong should be at the forefront of promoting exchanges between China and the United States. The timing of the establishment of the CCCW at the University of Hong Kong cannot be any better. The centre is expected to become a new platform for boosting mutual understanding between the two countries, and friends in Hong Kong are encouraged to contribute wisdom and strength to realizing the San Francisco Vision.

Professor Li Cheng, former director of John L. Thornton China Center at the Brookings Institution, serves as CCCW’s founding director. CCCW’s research priorities include science and technology transformation, climate change and alternative energy, economic and financial reforms, political leadership and generational transition, and geopolitical landscape change with an emphasis on the China-U.S. relationship.