Guests attend the main forum of the 2026 Beijing Culture Forum in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 22, 2026. (Xinhua/Chen Yehua)

The 2026 Beijing Culture Forum opened in the Chinese capital on Tuesday, bringing together more than 600 guests from 44 countries and regions to discuss cultural heritage protection and mutual learning among civilizations.

Li Shulei, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and head of the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee, attended the event and delivered a keynote speech.

Participants from China and abroad said the China-proposed Global Civilization Initiative, together with efforts to promote international cooperation in cultural heritage and to build a community with a shared future for humanity, has been of great significance to advancing cultural heritage endeavors in China and around the world.

They noted that cultural heritage is the shared asset of humanity and that preserving, passing down and making good use of cultural heritage is essential for the continuity of human civilization and sustainable global development.

Participants urged strong commitment to safeguarding humanity's cultural heritage, adhering to the principles of protection first, rational utilization and minimum intervention in heritage conservation, and protecting cultural heritage as we protect our lives.

They also called for closer exchanges of experience in cultural heritage protection, in areas such as cultural heritage surveys, legal frameworks, public participation and technological support, as well as expanded international cooperation in ancient civilization studies, joint archaeological projects, restoration of historical sites and museum exchanges.

The participants said efforts should be made to improve global governance in cultural heritage protection, expand cooperation under multilateral mechanisms and promote cultural heritage protection in the Global South.

The forum is jointly hosted by the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee, the CPC Beijing Municipal Committee and the Beijing Municipal Government. Beijing, with more than 3,000 years of history as a city and more than 870 years as a capital, is home to a wealth of World Heritage sites.

The annual event comes as China continues to promote international cultural exchanges and cooperation through various platforms and initiatives. The Global Civilization Initiative, proposed by China in 2023, advocates respect for the diversity of civilizations, the common values of humanity, the importance of inheritance and innovation of civilizations, as well as robust international people-to-people exchanges and cooperation.