GUANGZHOU -- The 2024 Understanding China conference, focusing on Chinese modernization and new opportunities for the world, opened on Tuesday in Guangzhou, capital of South China's Guangdong province.

This year's conference, themed "Carry through the Reform to the End — Chinese Modernization and New Opportunities for World Development", has brought together over 600 participants including politicians, officials, scholars, foreign envoys and media representatives.

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, read out Chinese President Xi Jinping's congratulatory letter to the conference and delivered a keynote speech at the opening ceremony.

The event, running until Wednesday, features six parallel seminars, 14 thematic forums, two closed-door panel discussions, and exhibitions showcasing short videos and achievements of China's modernization efforts, according to the organizers.

The conference will also focus on the economic vitality and potential of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area as a key driver of Chinese modernization and explore development opportunities across various industries in the context of the digital intelligence era, the low-altitude economy, and new quality productive forces.

Other topics include the protection and inheritance of historical and cultural heritage in the context of modernization, as well as South-South cooperation.

Guangzhou, located in the core area of the Pearl River Delta, with a permanent population of over 18 million, is a world-renowned port city and one of the most open and market-oriented cities in China. It boasts a long and profound cultural history characterized by openness, inclusiveness and a spirit of innovation.

This year's event is co-hosted by the China Institute for Innovation and Development Strategy, the Chinese People's Institute of Foreign Affairs and the Guangdong provincial government.

Huang Kunming, a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and secretary of the CPC Guangdong Provincial Committee, attended and addressed the opening ceremony. Vice-Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference Leung Chun-ying was also present.