DELEGATES representing political parties from around the world said the proposal by Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, to make cross-party discussion a regular event was of great significance.

Xi proposed making the dialogue between the Communist Party of China (CPC) and other parties a regular occurrence. Delegates in attendance noted that the dialogue was the first institutional platform for global political parties to exchange their experiences and learn from each other.

In his keynote speech at the opening ceremony, Xi said regular gatherings should be built into a fixed political mechanism with wide influence.

The CPC will provide exchange opportunities for 15,000 people from political parties around the world over the next five years, he added.

Romano Prodi, former prime minister of Italy and former president of the European Commission, said it will take “progressive plans and agendas” to institutionalize party-to-party dialogue, and priorities should be set every step of the way.

Zizi Kodwa of South Africa, spokesman for the African National Congress, noted that the CPC’s institutionalization of the dialogue is a historic practice, and that the platform could serve as a sort of “United Nations for political parties.”

“We cannot achieve a shared future for humanity if political parties are not strong and active,” Kodwa said.

China’s relationship with the rest of the world, particularly Africa, is not based on imposing ideas but on mutual respect and win-win cooperation, Kodwa added.

The meeting, which attracted around 600 delegates from nearly 300 political parties in 120 countries, is the first multilateral diplomatic event hosted by China after the 19th CPC National Congress. (China Daily)