On December 31, the 2023 “Talents Gathering” Forum & Global Talent Summit was successfully held at Zhongke Building in Beijing. More than 300 participants attended the event, including Nobel laureates, academicians and experts at home and abroad, representatives of high‑level talents and young elites, officials from talent‑related and science‑technology authorities, as well as heads of universities and research institutes, science parks and high‑tech enterprises. Over 30,000 viewers tuned in via live‑streaming. Hosted by the Beijing Global Talents Exchange Association, the activity received guidance and support from the China NGO Network for International Exchanges, the Chinese Overseas Returnees Service Alliance, the Beijing Association for Science and Technology, and the Beijing Municipal Science and Technology Commission & Zhongguancun Administrative Committee.

Under the theme “Gather Global Talents, Create Great Undertakings of Our Times”, this marks the fourth edition of the event. It aims to earnestly implement the guiding principles set forth at the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China and General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important instruction to “gather and make good use of the best talent under heaven”. The summit advances the strategy of building a talent‑strong country in the new era, strengthens international talent exchanges and scientific‑technological innovation cooperation in the post‑pandemic era, unites global talents to accelerate the development of a world‑leading talent hub and innovation highland, delivers robust talent and intellectual support for Chinese‑style modernization, and contributes to building a community with a shared future for mankind.

The summit consisted of an opening ceremony, keynote speeches, high‑level forum sessions and the Global Talents Friendship Gathering. Ma Junru, former Director‑General of the State Administration of Foreign Experts Affairs, Academician of the International Eurasian Academy of Sciences, Vice‑Chairman of its China Centre, Honorary President of the Russian Academy of Engineering and Chief Senior Expert of the Beijing Global Talents Exchange Association, delivered the opening address. Speeches were also given by Wang Ke, Deputy Secretary‑General of the China NGO Network for International Exchanges; Guo Lugang, Vice‑President of the Beijing Association for Science and Technology; Zhang Wenqiong, Deputy Director of the Beijing Science and Technology Talent Development Centre under the Beijing Municipal Science and Technology Commission & Zhongguancun Administrative Committee; and Wang Guangfa, President of the Beijing Global Talents Exchange Association.

Keynote Speech by Academician Edvard I. Moser, Nobel Laureate in Physiology or Medicine

In the keynote session, Academician Edvard I. Moser, global expert in artificial intelligence and Nobel Prize laureate in Physiology or Medicine, delivered a speech entitled Strengthening Exchanges and Cooperation Among Scientists Worldwide to Jointly Address Issues Concerning Human Survival and Development. He noted: “Human society faces many challenges for survival and development, calling for enhanced communication and joint efforts among scientists across nations. China is increasingly becoming a fertile ground for talents worldwide to realise their dreams. Building a better human society requires the impetus from international public‑welfare‑oriented talent‑and‑technology organisations, so as to better coordinate global intellectual resources and foster innovation‑driven development.”

Professor Wu Jiang, former President of the Chinese Academy of Personnel Science and specially‑appointed expert of the Central Talent Coordination Group, presented a speech titled Building Comparative International Competitiveness for Young Talents. He pointed out that youth represents “the prime age for scientific creation”. Young science and technology talents constitute a vital force for securing the initiative in future global competition. Supporting young talents to take on key responsibilities is a top priority for talent‑driven development, and new models for independently cultivating young sci‑tech talents must be accelerated.

During the high‑level forum, distinguished speakers shared insights around two major themes.

Under the theme Belt and Road International Science‑Technology Exchanges and Cooperation, presentations were delivered by Felix Dakora, President of the African Academy of Sciences and Foreign Member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering; Yang Huanming, Member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Member of the Academic Divisions of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences; Jia Yinsuo, Special Advisor to the President of the African Academy of Sciences and agricultural expert; together with three Foreign Members of the Russian Academy of Engineering: Professor Wu Daming from Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Yang Yunchun, Chairman of Beijing Haichuang Industrial Technology Research Institute, and Yin Bin, President of the Russia‑China Humanistic Cooperation Centre.

For the theme Innovative Development of Global Young Talents, practical experience and outlooks were shared by Amar, Secretary‑General of the Special Committee for International Students in China; Hu Fenglan, Co‑founder of the SCO Youth Platform; Cheng Haosheng, Global Youth Ambassador of the World Universities Climate Alliance; Sara, PhD candidate in Global Communication and Governance at Communication University of China; and Na Lin, Director of the Second Talent Service Department at the Beijing Overseas Talents Center.

Subsequent ceremonies were held for the unveiling of the Special Consultative Status with the UN Economic and Social Council, the inauguration of the Foreign Experts’ Reading Room, and the signing ceremony for the China Centre of the African Academy of Sciences.

Upholding the philosophy of “enhancing international talent‑exchange cooperation, advancing the innovation‑driven development strategy, and promoting mutual learning and shared prosperity among human civilisations”, the Beijing Global Talents Exchange Association has established cooperative ties with more than 200 overseas talent organisations, sci‑tech innovation institutions and student federations. Throughout the pandemic, it actively explored new models for international talent and technical exchange. In 2020, it co‑founded the China Centre with the Russian Academy of Engineering as an international sci‑tech innovation cooperation platform. Since 2021, it has facilitated the establishment of over 30 engineering‑technology innovation centres jointly built by Chinese and foreign academicians and experts. Relying on the “Beijing Home for International Friends”, co‑initiated together with foreign expert representatives, it delivers thoughtful human‑centered services to international friends residing in Beijing. The Association was granted Special Consultative Status by the UN Economic and Social Council on December 27 of that year. In addition, it has been authorised to develop the Foreign Experts’ Reading Room project under the guidance of the External Publicity Bureau of the Central Publicity Department and organised by relevant national ministries and agencies.

At the Global Talents Friendship Gathering, over 20 representatives of international friends in Beijing attended, including 107‑year‑old renowned educator Professor Isabel Crook, recipient of the Friendship Medal and Chinese Government Friendship Award, as well as Michael Crook and Mark Levine, winners of the Chinese Government Friendship Award. Most of them are members of “Beijing Home for International Friends”. This big‑family community works to optimise the environment for foreign talents coming to China and support Beijing’s development as an international centre for science‑technology innovation and for international exchanges. Several international friends took the floor and gave wonderful performances. In closing, Chinese and foreign guests jointly sang the Anthem of Global Talents, deepening friendship and cooperative bonds.