The 2021 Asia Youth Leaders Forum, co-organized by China Public Diplomacy Association, China Foundation for Peace and Development (CFPD), the People’s Government of Guangzhou Municipality and Asia Youth Leaders Association, was opened in Guangzhou, on November 27, 2021. Gao Yunlong, vice chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), chairman of All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce and chairman of CFPD, attended the opening ceremony and delivered a speech.

Gao Yunlong said that in recent years, Asian countries had strengthened solidarity and cooperation to jointly cope with various challenges and difficulties, especially in the fight against COVID-19, which had become an important engine for sustainable global recovery. Asian youths are ambitious, responsible, and committed to justice and peace. They have become an important force in safeguarding peace and development on the world stage by promoting friendly exchanges and mutually beneficial cooperation among Asian countries. A number of Asian youths are leading the trend and making positive contribution to the development of Asia, other countries and even the world.

Gao pointed out that in the face of profound changes and a pandemic both unseen in a century, young representatives of Asia should shoulder the responsibility of the age, lead the vast number of Asian youths to forge ahead with confidence, set high aspirations, show great virtue and responsibilities, and give full play to the power of the youth to promote the building of an Asian community with a shared future. The youth should stay committed to openness and cooperation, promote common prosperity in Asia, deepen exchanges among civilizations, forge ahead in an innovative and enterprising spirit to promote Asia’s development, practice green development to build a clean and beautiful Asia, and enhance their sense of responsibility to be practitioners of improving the well-being of the Asian people.

The three-day forum, with the theme of “Open and Innovate – Cultivating Asia’s Future through the Strength of Our Youth”, focused on topics such as technological innovation and smart cities, cultural education and tourism development, international financial and investment cooperation, healthcare, public welfare and charity, and overall cooperation and development in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. The Asia Youth Art Exhibition and the Asia Youth Friendship Forest tree-planting activity were also held during the forum. Nearly 300 Asian youths attended the forum through both online and offline.