The 28th St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) opened in the second largest city of Russia on Wednesday, bringing together all parties to explore effective approaches to addressing global challenges.
Themed "Shared Values: The Foundation of Growth in a Multipolar World," this year's forum runs till Saturday.
According to Anton Kobyakov, adviser to the Russian president and executive secretary of the SPIEF Organizing Committee, nearly 20,000 representatives from 140 countries and regions and heads of several international organizations have confirmed their participation in this year's forum.
This forum is held at a time when the global economy is facing severe challenges. It is poised to be a platform for discussing the issues from accelerating digitalization to addressing climate change, and for formulating specific practical solutions that can adapt the global economy to new conditions.
The forum includes more than 150 events, with entrepreneurs from Russia, China, the United States, Türkiye, Brazil, Vietnam, India, Iran, the United Arab Emirates, African and Latin American countries, as well as the European Union and Association of Southeast Asian Nations member states engaged in business talks.
Russian President Vladimir Putin will attend a plenary session and deliver a speech Friday.
Established in 1997, the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum is an important platform for discussing global economic governance and fostering international consensus on cooperation. Since 2006, it has been held under the auspices of the Russian president, who has also attended each event.
According to its organizer, the Roscongress Foundation, 1,073 agreements worth more than 6.4 trillion rubles (about 81.5 billion U.S. dollars) were signed at the 27th SPIEF in 2024.
Russia's flagship international economic forum opens in St. Petersburg
Russia's flagship international economic forum opens in St. Petersburg
A former television host from Taiwan, Zhai Xuan, has made a pivotal decision to leave mainstream broadcasting in order to create content that provides a better understanding of the Chinese mainland and cross-strait relations.
Zhai, a seasoned television host with over a decade of experience in Taiwan's media landscape, recently addressed an audience at an event in Beijing, where she revealed her complete transition into independent online media.
In her remarks, she articulated her aspiration to bridge what she perceives as a significant information gap between audiences on both sides of the Strait, highlighting her commitment to fostering a deeper understanding and connection through her new endeavors.
"I was really surprised by all the fake news. There were stories saying people on the mainland can't afford tea eggs or that they live in mud houses and in Taiwan, this was the main information many people received," said Zhai.
Zhai said she initially began producing online videos to challenge such perceptions while continuing her work as a television host.
In April 2025, she travelled to the mainland with her father to fulfill her late grandfather's wish to return to his hometown. The trip, which reunited family members separated since 1949, was recorded in a video series titled "Journey to Find Our Roots", drawing attention from viewers in both Taiwan and the mainland.
"Many people in Taiwan told me that after watching, they wanted to apply for a mainland travel permit immediately and go looking for their relatives. Some had long forgotten these things, but after seeing my story, they began thinking about their hometowns and family members they had never met and decided to search for their roots," Zhai shared her story at the event.
By mid-2025, Zhai said she began to feel increasing pressure amid rising political tensions and a tightening atmosphere around cross-Strait exchanges in Taiwan.
After more than 12 years in the industry, Zhai resigned from her position, believing it was the right thing to do.
"At that moment, I felt this was a major issue，not just for me, but for Chinese people on both sides of the Strait. If I backed down then, I wouldn’t be standing on the right side," said Zhai.
Since leaving television, Zhai has broadened her online programming to encompass a range of daily-life topics, including practical guidance on applying for a mainland travel permit and using commonly employed mobile applications, in addition to content that delves into historical memory and cultural connections across the Strait.
As the debate over cross-Strait relations continues in Taiwan, Zhai said she remains committed to her current path.
Former Taiwan TV host bridges cross-Strait divide via online media
