On December 1st, the first guest dialogue of the 2025 Understanding China Conference (Guangzhou), themed "China's 15th Five-Year Plan and New Opportunities for World Modernization," officially began. Six Chinese and international speakers took part in the discussion before a packed audience, as guests from around the world and foreign media gathered to explore global opportunities presented by China's high-quality development during the 15th Five-Year Plan period.

Wolfgang Schüssel, former Austrian chancellor, noted that a bright future for humanity must be built on peace, stability and international trust. He said China's rise is a positive development that benefits the world and has become an indispensable engine of the global economy. He emphasized the urgent need for cooperation and candid dialogue, with rebuilding trust as the top priority. He added that this conference provides a valuable opportunity to explore open and equitable trade cooperation, emphasizing that trust is the "currency" of today's world.

Erastus J. O. Mwencha, former Deputy Chairperson of the African Union Commission and a member of the Advisory Council of the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation, said that China's new development paradigm creates opportunities for Africa and the wider world. He pointed out that while China is entering a stage of deep population aging, the African continent continues to show strong demographic growth potential, with its population expected to reach 2.5 billion by 2050. This demographic complementarity, he said, brings new opportunities for China–Africa cooperation, with Africa poised to become an emerging consumer market similar to China.

Rishan de Silva, executive director of the Geopolitical Cartographer in Sri Lanka, said that each visit to the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area reveals new developments, which bring significant opportunities for Sri Lanka and for maritime trade between both sides.

中外嘉宾共话中国“十五五”规划 | 2025读懂中国

12月1日，2025年“读懂中国”国际会议首场嘉宾对话“中国‘十五五’规划与世界现代化新机遇”正式开始，六位中外嘉宾登台交流，台下座无虚席，各国嘉宾与外媒记者齐聚，共探中国“十五五”高质量发展的世界机遇。

奥地利前总理沃尔夫冈·许塞尔认为，人类光明前景需以和平稳定与国际信任为基础，中国崛起是惠及全球的积极进程，已是世界经济不可或缺的“重要引擎”。他强调，当下亟需合作与坦诚对话，重建信任是首要任务，此次会议为探讨建立开放公平的贸易合作提供了良好契机，称信任是今日的通行“货币”。

非盟委员会前副主席、“一带一路”国际合作高峰论坛咨询委员会委员姆温查表示，中国的新发展范式为非洲乃至世界提供了机遇。姆温查指出，中国正步入深度老龄化社会，而非洲大陆则展现出了人口增长的潜力，预计到2050年将有25亿人口。这种人口结构的互补性为中非合作提供了新机遇，非洲有望成为像中国一样的新兴消费市场。

斯里兰卡地缘政治制图师执行主任瑞山称，每次到访大湾区均能见证新变化，这为斯里兰卡及双方海上贸易带来诸多发展机遇。

文｜记者 侯梦菲
图｜记者 梁喻
翻译|曾敏
审校|肖凯欣