Hao Mingjin (center), vice-chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, former Italian prime minister Romano Prodi (second from left), who is also the honorary president of the Taihu World Cultural Forum, and former Japanese prime minister Yukio Hatoyama (front, second from right) pose before the annual conference of the forum opened in Bengbu, Anhui province, on Monday. [PHOTO BY WANG ZHUANGFEI/CHINA DAILY]

Hundreds of politicians, entrepreneurs, scholars and celebrities from cultural circles worldwide gathered in Bengbu, Anhui province, on Monday for the sixth annual conference of the Taihu World Cultural Forum, a vehicle to deepen cultural exchanges between China and the world.

This year's theme is "Dialogues between Civilizations: Building a Community of a Shared Future for Mankind".

Parallel discussions were held on the roles of business culture, cinematography, preservation of intangible cultural heritage, fashion and other fields in building a cross-border community of a shared future.

"China will always be the builder of world peace, contributor to global development and the defender of the international order," said Hao Mingjin, vice-chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, in a speech at the opening ceremony on Monday. "China is willing to join hands with other countries to uphold ideas of sustainable development, advocate multilateralism, improve global governance and build a more prosperous world together."

Yan Zhaozhu, chairman of the forum, said, "The trend of globalization, multipolarity and cultural diversity has become reversible. The time when hegemonists could do whatever they wanted in the world cannot continue."

In a dramatically changing world, Yan said, no single country can stand apart from the world's new challenges.

"Peace, cooperation, and development comprise key themes for the modern world," Yan said. "The more complicated the international situation we face, the more we need to safeguard the shared interest of countries. Mutual respect and learning among different countries should, therefore, be even better promoted."

Attendees include former Italian prime minister Romano Prodi, who is also the honorary president of the forum, former Japanese prime minister Yukio Hatoyama, and Irina Bokova, former director-general of UNESCO.

Prodi said countries are good at dialogue on politics, science, technology and fine art, "but they are often not linked together. ... The world needs a new glue."

He praised the forum as a way to link programs in a comprehensive dialogue to build a shared intellectual and cultural foundation. "If we look at cultural roots and understand each other's thinking, we can make wise decisions on important and complicated issues," he said.