BEIJING, April 17, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- A news report from CRI Online:

On April 15, the 2026 Belt and Road Creativity and Sustainable Development Seminar, co-hosted by the International Center for Creativity and Sustainable Development under the auspices of UNESCO and the School of International and Public Affairs, Jilin University, was successfully held in Beijing. The event was supported by Yuan Programming, Zhongguancun Zhongheng Culture and Technology Innovation Service Alliance, and UCP Universal Creative Park. A total of 26 participants from 13 countries, including Zimbabwe, Kenya, and Ghana, gathered in Beijing to explore the path of technological innovation, urban renewal, and sustainable development through a combination of thematic lectures and field visits.

The seminar specially invited Yang Baozhen, former Consul at the Chinese Embassy in France and former Senior Program Officer at the Canadian International Development Agency, to deliver a thematic lecture titled Implementation by China of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development — Poverty Reduction Practice in China. She elaborated on the distinctive Chinese approach to poverty reduction from dimensions such as precise identification, industrial support, relocation from inhospitable areas, and multi-stakeholder collaborative participation, and shared achievements in education equity, women's development, ecological protection, and other livelihood sectors.

During the event, participants visited several sites showcasing innovative practices. At the Yuan Programming Exhibition Hall, they gained a systematic understanding of educational systems for children's programming and artificial intelligence, while also observing the application of intelligent teaching support technologies. At UCP Universal Creative Park, they explored how digital technology is creating new possibilities for cultural heritage preservation through the "Angkor Smile" multi-immersive exhibition. They also developed a deeper understanding of Beijing's efforts to transform former industrial plants into international innovation parks through their visit to C work, an industrial site repurposed as a venue for conferences and events. Finally, participants visited the 798 Hyper Vision VR Cinema, where they experienced the innovative energy of the cultural and creative sectors in the digital age.

The participants unanimously expressed that the seminar was rich in content and highly rewarding. KELVIN GWANZURA, a participant from Zimbabwe, noted that the lecture's explanations of targeted poverty alleviation, grassroots implementation, and governance innovation were highly inspiring, and that these experiences are extremely valuable for developing countries such as Zimbabwe. AMINA NASOLO from Malawi also remarked that the lecture gave her a clear understanding of how a country can formulate practical and effective development policies. Regarding the practical pathways of technology-enabled sustainable development, VISHAL LAL CHAUHAN from Fiji said that using technology to empower cultural heritage protection and transforming old factories into creative parks is an excellent innovative concept, which made him deeply realize that "creativity and sustainable development complement each other and can drive both cultural and economic progress together." JAGITAY SALAMATU from Sierra Leone exclaimed that coming to China was one of the best experiences of her life, and that "creativity, innovation, and technology are the keys to solving future development challenges, and are worth learning from by all countries."

The Belt and Road Creativity and Sustainable Development Seminar has been successfully held for many consecutive years. By integrating theory with practice, it shares China's exploratory experience and practical achievements in the fields of creativity and sustainable development with participants from Belt and Road partner countries and other relevant nations, thereby injecting fresh momentum into inter-civilizational exchanges and mutual learning, international cooperation, and shared global development.

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SOURCE CRI Online