An international symposium on "China and the World in the New Era" was held Monday at Renmin University of China (RUC) in Beijing.

Xu Lin, director of the State Council Information Office, delivers a keynote speech at an international symposium on "China and the World in the New Era" at Renmin University of China in Beijing, Dec. 16, 2019. [Photo by Wu Xiaoshan/China SCIO]

Amid heated discussion on the white paper titled "China and the World in the New Era," which was issued by the State Council Information Office in September, the symposium was held to discuss the relationship between China and the world.

"It's not easy to truly understand China due to its vast size, complicated national conditions and rapid development," said Xu Lin, director of the State Council Information Office, in his keynote speech, adding that a closer look reveals an open, progressive and friendly China.

Organized by the RUC's Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies, the symposium gathered politicians, scholars and entrepreneurs from home and abroad, pooling wisdom to bring more progress and prosperity to China and the rest of the world.

China is the most important force that is sustaining and will continue supporting globalization, which is vital to other countries, according to John Ross, a British scholar.

"Most of the world want to follow the trend of globalization and are asking what China will do." he said.

The symposium was comprised of three sessions including "70 Years of New China: Development Progress," "Impacts of China's Development on the World" and "The Community of Shared Future for Mankind and the Future of Global Governance."

"China has turned from a nation trying to fit into the global system to one that leads it," said Ruan Zongze, executive vice-president of the China Institute of International Studies.

China's role is of growing significance as unilateralism and protectionism are on the rise, and the rest of the world is expecting China to play an even more important role, Ruan said.