Onsite

Speakers and Moderators

The First Work Report Delivered by ZCGTA Secretary-General

Keynote Report Delivered by ZGCTA Honorary Advisor

Award Ceremony

Discussion about ZGCTA’s Future

The Sixth Session of the First Director-General Meeting and the First Session of the Second Director Meeting of the Zhongguancun Global High-level Think Tank Alliance (ZGCTA) were successfully closed in Beijing on November 7, 2025, with a focus on leadership transition empowering consensus-building and wisdom-sharing to jointly plan for the future. On the agenda were work report, guest speeches, award ceremony and discussion about ZGCTA’s development. Nearly 200 representatives from member units in China, the United States, Germany, Portugal, Pakistan among many countries gathered to successfully complete the leadership transition and jointly plan for the future development.

Wu Jianmin, the first Director-General of ZGCTA and president of the Beijing Academy of Science and Technology (BJAST), delivered opening remarks. Li Junkai, the first Secretary-General of ZGCTA and Director of the Center for International and Regional Cooperation of BJAST, presented the first work report. Gao Zhiyong, Deputy Director and First-Level Counselor of the Committee on Liaison with Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan and Overseas Chinese and Foreign Affairs, Beijing Municipal Committee of the CPPCC, Vice President and Secretary General of the Beijing NGO Network for International Exchange, and Li Zhilei, the Second-Level Counselor of Beijing Municipal Science & Technology Commission, Administrative Commission of Zhongguancun Science Park, were invited as special guests to deliver key messages. Aleksandar JOVANOVIĆ, Honorary Advisor of ZGCTA and CEO of Steinbeis EU-VRi (European Risk and Resilience Institute) presented a report on international think tank cooperation. Yang Weiguo, Vice President of the Beijing Academy of Social Sciences, presided over these sessions.

In his opening remarks, Wu Jianmin reviewed the five-year journey of ZGCTA since its inception in 2020 and emphasized the responsibilities that ZGCTA should shoulder in the future, stating that ZGCTA has brought together over 100 think tanks from 19 countries and achieved fruitful results in brand building, participation in multilateral international governance, joint research in cutting-edge fields, and the transformation of research findings into practical applications. ZGCTA strives to serve as an important platform for global think tank exchange and cooperation, a crucial bridge connecting global wisdom, a vital base for joint think tank research, and a significant force supporting national strategy and regional innovation development. Wu indicated that ZGCTA shall optimize its organizational structure and operational mechanisms, expand global cooperation network, and attract more high-quality think tank resources into the global innovation network. It should focus on how to promote the development of new productive forces while conducting forward-looking, strategic, reserve-oriented and targeted research. In the meanwhile, collaboration shall be enhanced with international organizations, research institutions, universities and enterprises in other countries so as to jointly address global challenges and serve high-quality and sustainable development with outputs of think tank cooperation.

Li Junkai delivered the first work report, systematically presenting ZGCTA’s achievements over the past five years. She pointed out that ZGCTA has always adhered to the principle of “Gathering Global Wisdom and Serving Innovative Development” by constructing a “1+2+N” system of brand activities, creating exchange platforms such as the Global High-level Think Tank Forum for Science & Technology Innovation of ZGC Forum and the “Voice of Think Tanks,” promoting mutual learning among domestic and international think tanks. In addition, ZGCTA has been deeply integrated into international cooperation networks, including APEC, the Belt and Road Initiative, and BRICS, contributing solutions from the perspective of think tanks to global innovation. With Chinese and English books and research reports on international cooperation and cutting-edge research topics published, it has supported the transformation of outstanding achievements into applications. As it continuously expands its global “circle of friends,” engaging more high-end think tanks from other countries and improving the construction and organizational management mechanism of the expert database, it has gradually grown into a multilateral exchange and cooperation hub with both international influence and collaborative effectiveness.

Gao Zhiyong congratulated the convening of this event, indicating that global sci-tech innovation is at a critical juncture, while addressing global challenges necessitates open, inclusive and mutually beneficial cooperation among countries. In this landscape, non-governmental organizations play an irreplaceable role as a bridge. He introduced the positioning and achievements of the Beijing NGO Network for International Exchange as the first local non-governmental organization for international exchange in China, shared the successful cooperation at the “Pooling Folk Wisdom for Shared Technology Forum” of the Zhongguancun Forum, and affirmed ZGCTA’s achievements in building a global think tank network and deepening international sci-tech cooperation. He expressed his expectation that ZGCTA should take the leadership transition as an opportunity to enlarge its cooperation network, carry out joint research, and promote the transformation of research results. Beijing NGO Network for International Exchange will continue to work hand in hand with ZGCTA to inject momentum into people-to-people diplomacy for Beijing’s efforts to strengthen its “four-centers” functions.

Li Zhilei stated that ZGCTA, based on the global innovation landscape, has built a multilateral cooperation platform, gathered the strength of think tanks from multiple countries and promoted mutual learning of innovation concepts between China and foreign countries via international seminars and joint research, therefore propelling the development of Beijing as an international sci-tech innovation center. According to Li, the global innovation landscape is undergoing profound adjustments and the tech revolution and industrial transformation are accelerating their paces. Beijing is making every effort to build an open and inclusive innovation ecosystem, and ZGCTA, an important bridge connecting global innovation resources, is ushering in new development opportunities. The Beijing Municipal Science and Technology Commission and the Administrative Commission of Zhongguancun Science Park will continue to optimize the policy environment and build cooperation platforms to support ZGCTA in optimizing its organizational structure and inviting more high-quality think tank resources. The aim is to enable ZGCTA to play a greater role in serving national strategies and beefing up global innovation collaboration. ZGCTA should work with its member units more closely to build a high-level international think tank cooperation platform and contribute wisdom and strength to global sci-tech innovation governance.

Professor Aleksandar JOVANOVIĆ, Honorary Advisor of ZGCTA, delivered his presentation, “From Vision and Plans to Tangible Results”, and proposed an initiative to build the BRI Resilience and Innovation Centers Network (BRaINet). He shared the work of “Innovation for Enhanced Resilience and Sustainability along the Belt & Road Initiative,” co-authored with over 50 experts from 16 countries, which covers case studies and practical pathways in sustainable development and new technology applications. Later, he introduced follow-up plans, including the Research on the Resilience of Beijing’s International Science and Technology Cooperation Ecosystem in 2026. ZGCTA should prioritize the emerging technologies and talent cultivation to contribute to the Belt and Road Initiative and the construction of a global innovation development landscape, according to Aleksandar JOVANOVIĆ.

The awarding ceremony officially marked the second phase of ZGCTA. According to the ZGCTA Charter and voting results, the Beijing Academy of Science and Technology was elected as the second Director-General Unit, with Wu Jianmin as Director-General and Li Junkai as Secretary-General. The European Risk and Resilience Institute and the Tianjin Academy of Social Sciences were elected as Vice Director-General Units. Thirteen new think tanks from China, Portugal, South Africa, Pakistan, Italy and other countries joined the alliance as member units. As of the closing of this meeting, ZGCTA has 102 member units from 19 countries. Gao Zhiyong, Li Zhilei and Wu Jianmin presented plaques to the Director-General Unit, newly elected Vice Director-General Units and member units, together with Director-General and Secretary-General. Han Tao, Director of the Science and Technology Management Department of National Science Library, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, presided over the awarding ceremony.

During the discussion about ZGCTA’s future, Li Junkai introduced the plan from five dimensions: cooperation breadth, collaboration depth, visibility, warmth and height. In terms of cooperation breadth, it will continue to expand its network among countries under the BRI, ASEAN and BRICS. As for collaboration depth, it will focus on conducting interdisciplinary joint research in areas such as new productivity, the digital economy and green transformation. Regarding visibility, it will strengthen the integration of the “1+2+N” brand activities with high-end international platforms to enhance international communications. When it comes to warmth, the alliance will upgrade its Chinese and English websites and official WeChat account, and improve resource sharing mechanisms. As far as the keyword “height” is concerned, ZGCTA will explore the establishment of an international sci-tech organization to support Beijing as a global exchange center and a sci-tech innovation hub. Representatives from more than 20 institutions, including the Beijing Development Institute of Peking University, Springer Nature, and the Global Silk Route Research Alliance, expounded on brand upgrading, resource integration and joint research, as valuable ideas and directions for the quality development of a new ZGCTA.

Wu Jianmin delivered closing remarks by reflecting on ZGCTA’s development over the past five years, as it started with 19 founding members and has now become a network of 102 think tanks from 19 countries. He reaffirmed the significant achievements in brand building, deepened international cooperation and substantial research results, and expressed gratitude for the valuable suggestions from member units. Wu also proposed that the new leadership shall advance four key tasks: first, with a broad vision and a long-term perspective, it plans to conduct think tank research aligned with national strategies; second, with an inclusive and tolerant approach, it will expand the global network and enhance international communication capabilities; third, with united efforts, it aims to deepen collaborative innovation and translate think tank findings into practice; fourth, with a relentless pursuit of innovation, it is committed to higher service efficiency and consolidated development efforts.

Wu Jianmin delivered closing remarks by reflecting on ZGCTA’s development over the past five years, as it started with 19 founding members and has now become a network of 102 think tanks from 19 countries. He reaffirmed the significant achievements in brand building, deepened international cooperation and substantial research results, and expressed gratitude for the valuable suggestions from member units. Wu also proposed that the new leadership shall advance four key tasks: first, with a broad vision and a long-term perspective, it plans to conduct think tank research aligned with national strategies; second, with an inclusive and tolerant approach, it will expand the global network and enhance international communication capabilities; third, with united efforts, it aims to deepen collaborative innovation and translate think tank findings into practice; fourth, with a relentless pursuit of innovation, it is committed to higher service efficiency and consolidated development efforts.

After the first five-year vigorous development, ZGCTA is in its prime time, making greater efforts to forge ahead with determination towards the next golden five years. In the principle of openness, inclusiveness, mutual benefit and win-win, it will gather more global wisdom to serve innovative development, contributing more power from think tanks to high-level sci-tech self-reliance and the community with a shared future for mankind.

（Text/Photos by ZGCTA Secretariat）