What is Chinese foreign ministry's Lanting Forum all about?

The Lanting Forum was established by China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 2010 as a communication platform for governments, enterprises, academic circles, the media, and the general public to discuss on issues of public interest, such as China's foreign policy.

The forum is called so because it is usually held in the Blue Hall (Lanting) in the southern building of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Beijing. Today's forum was held at the Grand Halls near the Huangpu River in Shanghai, the first time it took place outside of Beijing.

The meeting, entitled "Chinese Modernization and the World," brought together governments, think tanks and media personalities from approximately 80 countries and regions.

Qin Gang, China's state councilor and minister of foreign affairs, was the keynote speaker at the opening ceremony. Other speakers included Chen Jining, Party secretary Shanghai, Dilma Rousseff, president of the New Development Bank and former president of Brazil, Mamadou Tangara, Gambian minister of foreign affairs, Essam Sharaf, former prime minister of Egypt, Maurice Greenberg, chairman and CEO of CV Starr & Co Inc and Starr Insurance Company, and Xie Chuntao, executive vice president of the Party School of the Central Committee of the CPC.

The forum also included panel discussions on issues such as China's new development, improved global governance, and closer people-to-people exchanges.

Participants to the panel sessions included Max Baucus, former US ambassador to China, John Thornton, co-chair of the board of the Trustees of the Asia Society, and Yao Ming, president of the Chinese Basketball Association.

There was also a luncheon with the business community for in-depth discussions about pursuing high-quality opening up.