Report on the "China's Road" Australia and New Zealand Forums, August 12–19

From August 12 to 19, 2016, the "International Forum on the Chinese Road" was held in Australia and New Zealand respectively. More than a hundred scholars from China, Australia, New Zealand, the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, and other countries attended the meetings. From August 13 to 15, the Australia Forum on the Chinese Road, jointly organized by the Institute of Marxism Studies of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) and the University of Newcastle in Australia, was held at the University of Newcastle. At the forum's opening ceremony, Nuatali Nelmes, Mayor of Newcastle; Winnie Eley, Pro Vice-Chancellor of the University of Newcastle; Professor John Maynard from the Wollotuka Institute at the University of Newcastle; and Professor Roland Boer from the Faculty of Education and Arts at the University of Newcastle, who served as the Australian convener for this forum, delivered welcoming speeches. Fan Jianxin, Deputy Director of the Institute of Marxism Studies at CASS, presented the University of Newcastle with traditional lacquerware featuring patterns of Chinese cultural characteristics, as well as the English-language journal International Critical Thought, edited by the Institute of Marxism Studies. Both sides expressed their heartfelt desires to further strengthen mutual understanding and exchange.

Keynote speeches at the forum included: "China, Central Asia, and the Economic Belt" by Colin Mackerras, Emeritus Professor at the Griffith University Business School; "Three Core Elements of the Chinese Road: Socialism, the Communist Party, and Marxism" by Fan Jianxin, Deputy Director of the Institute of Marxism Studies at CASS; "The Contribution of the Success of the Chinese Road to the World" by Feng Yanli, Director of the Department of Foreign Marxism Studies at the CASS Institute of Marxism Studies; and "From Mao Zedong to Today: Constructing a Self-Help Course in Chinese Marxism" by Professor Roland Boer of the Faculty of Education and Arts at the University of Newcastle.

On August 17, the New Zealand Forum on the Chinese Road, jointly organized by the Institute of Marxism Studies at CASS and the Faculty of Arts at the University of Auckland, New Zealand, was held at the University of Auckland. Dozens of representatives from China and New Zealand participated in the meeting. At the forum's opening ceremony, Bernadette Luciano, Associate Dean (International) of the Faculty of Arts at the University of Auckland, and Christène Guenot, Associate Dean (Research), delivered welcoming speeches. During the seminar, Chinese and New Zealand scholars engaged in spirited presentations regarding the Chinese road and the "Belt and Road" ^[1] issue. Professor Fan Jianxin, Deputy Director of the Institute of Marxism Studies, expressed hope that through the form of academic exchange, foreign countries would gain a better understanding of China and the Chinese road, thereby correcting the distortions and misunderstandings regarding China in some Western media reports. He proposed that overseas scholars should observe China calmly, and Chinese scholars should communicate with the outside world objectively. Scholars from China and New Zealand engaged in a pleasant and friendly exchange. The New Zealand side expressed the hope to carry out more and deeper levels of exchange with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences in the future.

This forum strengthened the exchanges between the academic circles of China and Australia, and China and New Zealand. It disseminated the connotations of the "Belt and Road" strategy, such as openness, cooperation, win-win results, peace, and development, playing a positive role in promoting the Chinese road ^[2] in a positive light internationally. During the period, the representative delegation of Chinese scholars held a symposium in Melbourne with relevant scholars from Deakin University in Australia regarding the strengthening of bilateral scientific research cooperation and exchange. They also held a symposium with the Communist Party of Australia at its headquarters located in Sydney.