The 2025 Lujiazui Forum officially opened in Shanghai on Wednesday morning, expecting multiple major financial policies to be announced for deeper financial reform, openness, and international cooperation.
The two-day forum has gathered policymakers, regulators, and financial leaders from over ten countries and regions. This year's theme, "Financial opening up and cooperation for high-quality development in a changing global economy," highlights China's commitment to further integrating into the global financial system.
Senior leaders from the People's Bank of China, the National Administration of Financial Regulation, the China Securities Regulatory Commission, the State Administration of Foreign Exchange, and the Shanghai Municipal Government will deliver keynote speeches.
More than 70 distinguished speakers are attending the forum, including heads of foreign financial institutions and global regulatory agencies.
After the opening ceremony, there will be eight plenary sessions and forums with a strong emphasis on cutting-edge topics, such as how artificial intelligence can empower financial reform and innovation, how finance can support the development of new quality productive forces, and how to improve the multi-tiered capital market system to cultivate patient capital.
Three special sessions will also be held, focusing on reinsurance market development, science and technology finance, and the rule of law in finance.
Lujiazui Forum opens in Shanghai, spotlighting financial openness, AI-driven reform, and global cooperation
Lujiazui Forum opens in Shanghai, spotlighting financial openness, AI-driven reform, and global cooperation
Efforts are underway in Gaza City to salvage what remains of the territory's cultural heritage after nearly two years of war.
At the ruins of the Great Omari Mosque, Gaza's oldest and largest mosque, Palestinian workers have been clearing and sorting stones dating back more than 1,200 years using basic tools.
"The Great Omari Mosque represents the heart and soul of Gaza City, and Palestine as a whole. The value of these stones is not in their size, but in their deep and layered historical significance," said Husni Al-Mazloom, manager of the Great Omari Mosque restoration project.
Only fragments of the mosque's minarets and a few of its external walls remain standing.
"During the war, it was not only people, trees, and buildings that were targeted, but also thousands of years of human history. Most historical sites in Gaza City were struck and destroyed in an attempt to erase the historical identity of Gaza's people," said Palestinian historian Ayman Al-Balbisi.
Progress on the restoration project has been extremely slow, as Israel continues to restrict the entry of construction materials, even after nearly eight weeks of ceasefire.
On a positive note, however, the project provides locals with more income.
"Before working here, we were unemployed. When this opportunity became available for me and 20 other workers, it allowed us to provide for our families and cover basic needs. During the war, there was no work available for us at all," said worker Ali Al-Qaloushi.
Palestinians have accused Israel of deliberately targeting heritage sites. But Israel denied, saying its strikes followed international law and targeted Hamas tools near or beneath these locations.
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has verified damage to 145 religious, cultural and historical sites in Gaza since October 2023, raising fears of irreversible loss in a territory whose history spans more than 5,000 years and carries the imprint of numerous civilizations.
Gazans race to preserve cultural heritage after two years of war
