The Modern Governance Forum, sponsored by Tsinghua University and the Chinese Public Administration Society and organized by the School of Public Policy and Management at Tsinghua University (Tsinghua SPPM), was held at Tsinghua University on the evening of November 11.

Gao Yunlong, vice chairman of the 14th CPPCC National Committee, chairman of the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce, and president of the All-China Chamber of Industry and Commerce; Wang Xiqin, president of Tsinghua University; Li Baorong, president of the Chinese Public Administration Society; John L. Thornton, executive chairman of Barrick Gold Corporation and co-chair of the Board of Trustees of the Asia Society, attended the opening and delivered speeches. Peng Gang, vice president and provost of Tsinghua University, presided over the opening of the event.

In his speech, Gao Yunlong shared that promoting high-quality development through modern governance requires a high-level talent system; constructing a modernized nation necessitates actively building a fair, just, inclusive, and unified talent development ecosystem; fostering a new development pattern through modern governance requires more in-depth communication and cooperation; establishing cross-disciplinary, diverse, and effective communication mechanisms can better assist decision-making, promote inclusive development, and facilitate diverse progress; promoting high-level opening-up through modern governance requires a broader global vision. It is essential to actively advocate an open-minded approach, to foster the formation of a high-level opening-up environment, to seek systematic solutions for global development and governance, and to create a globally oriented open development ecosystem. He hopes that Tsinghua SPPM continues building a robust platform for communication and cooperation, forming public governance consensus with a global vision, and making greater contributions to China's modernization and the building of a global community with a shared future.

Wang Xiqin welcomed guests attending the forum. He pointed out that achieving modernization is a common goal diligently pursued by countries worldwide in modern times. The forum, themed "Modernization and Global Public Governance," aims to explore how to create a more open, inclusive, collaborative, and diverse governance model during the modernization process, effectively addressing global challenges and promoting global development. Universities must actively play a role and take initiative, providing talent support, solutions, and spiritual strength for modernization and global public governance. Looking ahead, he pledged Tsinghua University will focus on constructing an indigenous knowledge system in the context of Chinese-style modernization, explore new paradigms for national governance and global governance in the new era, facilitate candid dialogue and cooperation among scholars and administrators from various countries, and contribute to building a more open, inclusive, and effective global governance framework.

Li Baorong stated that the Communist Party of China (CPC) attaches great importance to the issue of modernizing national governance. Since the 18th National Congress, the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has formulated a series of top-level designs, focusing on accelerating the building of a service-oriented government that satisfies the people, further clarifying the relationship between the government and the market and enhancing the efficiency of government governance. The advent of the digital era provides a historic opportunity for the development of the discipline of public administration. It is necessary to further leverage practical applications and advance the theoretical construction and practical innovation of governance modernization through methods such as investigative research, policy recommendations, talent cultivation, and social services.

John L. Thornton expressed the hope that Tsinghua SPPM could establish a global repository and platform that gathers high-quality policy recommendations and showcases the best practices of Chinese government governance. He envisions creating a more accessible channel for knowledge acquisition, becoming a center and hub for the world to perceive and understand China, continuously enhancing its discourse power in the global public governance system.

Following the opening ceremony, two sub-forums were held with the themes "Governance Modernization and State Development" and "Public Governance and Global Governance". Zheng Yaodong, executive vice president and secretary-general of the 8th Council of the Chinese Public Administration Society, and Peng Zongchao, secretary of the CPC Tsinghua SPPM Committee presided over the sub-forums, respectively.

Zhu Xufeng, dean of Tsinghua SPPM and vice president of the Chinese Public Administration Society, provided a summary of the forum to conclude the event. He expressed gratitude to all the distinguished guests, experts, and scholars who attended the event.

The forum is one of the series of events for the 2022 Tsinghua SPPM Global Advisory Board (GAB) Meeting, with the theme "Modernization and Global Public Governance."