The 22nd Conference on International Exchange of Professionals (CIEP), one of China's biggest annual gatherings for talent exchanges, opened in Shanghai on Saturday.
The two-day event is set with 32 conference venues and scheduled with 48 talent exchange events. More than 1,300 international experts from more than 120 countries and regions attended the opening ceremony.
Chinese State Councilor Shen Yiqin attended the opening ceremony, and inspected the work on introducing talents and employment services in Shanghai.
She stressed that it is necessary to further support and guarantee overseas talent introduction, strengthen international talent exchanges, in a bid to establish win-win cooperation, and provide talent and intellectual support for promoting Chinese-style modernization.
Shen also stated precise skill trainings which are necessary to better serve people in employment seeking and bring them additional income.
Founded in 2001, the Conference on International Exchange of Professionals (the CIEP) has been successfully held for 22 sessions so far.
According to initial statistics, each session of the CIEP has attracted professional organizations to participate in the exhibition from more than 40 countries and regions such as the UK, Germany, France, Italy, the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Russia, Ukraine, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Israel, Brazil, Argentina, and South Africa.
In its history, more than 35,000 foreign experts, overseas students and professionals have attended the conference, and a total of over 10,000 projects have been launched under the event.
Themed "Pursuing Common Development and Benefiting Worldwide Professionals in the Drive to Scientific and Technological Innovation", the CIEP has become a national, international and comprehensive exhibition and negotiation occasion for the exchange of international technological innovation talents.
22nd Conference on Int'l Exchange of Professionals opens in Shanghai
International figures have strongly criticized recent statements made by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, calling them a blatant violation of international law and an unacceptable interference in China's internal affairs.
At a Diet meeting on Nov 7, Takaichi claimed that the Chinese mainland's "use of force on Taiwan" could constitute a "survival-threatening situation" for Japan and implied the possibility of armed intervention in the Taiwan Strait.
The remarks, which challenge China's sovereignty, have drawn sharp rebuke from observers across the globe, who warn such actions threaten regional stability.
Ruben Guzzetti, director of the Argentine Institute of Geopolitical Studies, said that "a substantial body of prior documentation establishes that Takaichi's statements constitute undue interference in China's internal affairs and a violation of its sovereignty. This is now clear, and it represents a very significant threat to international peace."
Echoing this sentiment, David Monyae, director of the Center for Africa-China Studies at the University of Johannesburg, South Africa, contextualized the issue within historical memory.
"Given the history, the fascism and the damage that Japan caused, not just in China but the whole of Asia and the world during the Second World War, with all those atrocities, what we want is that Japan starts to recognize and starts stating clearly all the atrocities that it caused and to show a sign that it is reversing and it is not going to do what it did in the past. I think for Japan to bring back an imperialistic colonial mentality, it's something that is unacceptable," he said firmly.
The criticism also came from political figures. Tshilidzi Bethuel Munyai, a member of the National Assembly of South Africa, condemned the Japanese leader's statements as "reckless, absurd, and an act of transgression, blatantly undermining the deployed diplomatic achievements between the two countries."
"It erodes the foundation of political trust between China and Japan. It signals very reckless right-wing forces within Japan and the broader international community. By the way, China has firm resolve to safeguard the national sovereignty and as well as territorial integrity," said Munyai.
Amidst this international backlash, experts assert that China's demand for a retraction of Takaichi's remarks is fully justified. The consensus among critics is clear: such provocations undermine the foundations of international law and bilateral relations, and must be withdrawn to prevent further escalation.
Int'l voices condemn Japanese PM's remarks as unacceptable violation of China's sovereignty
