江苏留学网

Youth representatives pose for a group photo at the 3rd International Youth Forum on the Belt and Road in Suzhou, Jiangsu province. [Photo/zju.edu.cn]

The 3rd International Youth Forum on the Belt and Road took place in Suzhou, Jiangsu province on Dec 28-29, engaging over 50 youth representatives and judges from 39 countries and regions. 

The forum saw a series of expert keynote speeches, as well as youth representatives brainstorming on topics like environmental protection and sustainable development, law, economics and finance, science, technology and innovation, society, as well as economy and infrastructure. 

Wei Xiaoqiao, a student studying at Sichuan University in Southwest China, said that the forum has cleared her mind in what she can do for the construction of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). 

She joined her partners from Hong Kong and the United Kingdom on a sub-topic concerning youth and climate change, brainstorming ways to advocate a simple lifestyle that will minimize carbon emissions and energy consumption. 

"We suggested starting by setting up related courses at primary and middle schools, and adhering to the idea that it will not be hard if we start with ourselves," Wei said. 

Tang Mengxuan, who partnered with students from Somalia and the Netherlands, shared her reflections after the forum. 

"I found that Chinese students prefer to stick to some ideas, but foreign students are more open-minded," She said. 

She said the biggest thing she gained from the trip was that each member of her team absorbed each other's reasonable views, widening their horizons after an afternoon of discussion. 

The event has been directed by National Judges College and Zhejiang University since 2017, and was organized by the Suzhou Intermediate People's Court and the Suzhou Judges Association.