Li Shulei, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and head of the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee, reads out a congratulatory letter sent by Chinese President Xi Jinping and delivers a keynote speech at the opening ceremony of the World Conference on China Studies -- Shanghai Forum, in east China's Shanghai, Nov. 24, 2023. (Xinhua/Yue Yuewei)

The World Conference on China Studies -- Shanghai Forum was held in Shanghai on Friday. Chinese President Xi Jinping sent a congratulatory letter to the forum.

Li Shulei, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and head of the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee, read out Xi's letter at the forum's opening ceremony and delivered a keynote speech.

Chen Jining, a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and secretary of the CPC Shanghai Municipal Committee, also attended the ceremony and made a speech.

Featuring four parallel sub-forums, the World Conference on China Studies -- Shanghai Forum was attended by more than 400 experts, scholars and representatives of relevant parties from over 60 countries and regions.

Attendees hailed the significance of Xi's letter in guiding further exchanges and mutual learning between civilizations, and the development of China studies.

They also called for further efforts to advance studies on China, thus providing new ideas and inspirations for the inheritance, development and innovation of different civilizations, and contributing more wisdom to the building of a community with a shared future for humanity.

The forum also announced that the World Association for China Studies was formally established and granted the Award for Distinguished Contribution to China Studies to awardees.