On September 28, the 2026 Nishan Forum on World Civilizations opened in Qufu, Jining, Shandong Province.With the theme of"Civilization, Order andJustice", the forum features sub-topics including "The Contemporary Value of Confucianism andItsSignificancefor the World","Civilizational Resilience and Global Governance", "IntellectualDialogue andCivilizationalIntegration" and "Artificial Intelligence and Great Harmonyofthe World".

Addressing the opening ceremony, Jin Minqing, a member of the Party Leadership Group of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) and director of the Institute of Contemporary China Studies, said that we should reject the notions of civilizational superiority and the clash of civilizations, and respect the historical traditions, values and development paths of different civilizations. "We should uphold a global governance vision of extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits, and promote the formation of consensus on rules among different civilizations through mutual respect", he said. "We should uphold and promote the common values of humanity-peace, development, fairness, justice, democracy and freedom, advance the building of a community with a shared future for mankind, and continue to promote common development and lasting peace and prosperity for all", he added.

Thomas Bach, honorary life president of the International Olympic Committee, said in a video address that Confucianism and the Olympic ideals share much in common, and expressed the hope that the forum will enable a dialogue between Confucian wisdom and the Olympic spirit.

The forum is hosted by the Shandong Provincial People's Government, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office of the State Council, the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and the International Confucian Association. It will run through September 29, with events including keynote speeches, high-level interviews and panel discussions.

The Nishan Forum on World Civilizations is named after Nishan, the birthplace of Confucius, the great ancient Chinese thinker and educator. The first edition of the forum was held in September 2010.