By APD writer Gong Chen

The APEC Voices of Future (VOF) Youth Innovation Forum 2019 was held in Beijing on Monday, aiming to encourage youths to promote their development and discuss opportunities and challenges facing them.

Addressing at the opening session, Dai Junjie, the executive secretary-general of APEC China VOF, briefed the APEC VOF and extended thanks to those who support their work .

Dai Junjie, the executive secretary-general of APEC China VOF

The 2019 APEC China VOF selection competition draws high attention and wide participation from youths all over the country since its launch in April, with applications of youth group reaching up to 107, 000 from more than 3,000 schools and universities. The selection process is extremely competitive and winners of the final competition will get the tickets to attend APEC CEO Summit and exchange with their global peers.

APEC VOF, the only official youth development program within the framework of APEC CEO Summit, provides an international platform for youths to connect the world by showing their talents in competitions.

Yu Ping, former vicechairman of China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT)

Also at the session, Yu Ping, former vicechairman of China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT) shared his experiences in organizing previous APEC summits.

Yu, as the former China’s chief representative of CCPIT in Washington D.C for four years, had supported APEC-related activities held there. Promoted as the vice chairman after returning to China, he continued backing the APEC work and being involved in organizing 2001 and 2014 summits held in Shanghai and Beijing respectively.

“China actively participatesin APEC summits since the early 1990s and has contributed a lot to promoting economic and trade cooperation in the Asia Pacific region and across the world,” he said.

“For a long period of time, APEC has become the world’s third most important Free-Trade Area Organization apart from NAFTA and EU, so this platform is of great significance for Chinese young people to exchange and broaden their horizons, to learn about the world and show their talents to the world,” he continued to say.

Chinese young actor and singer Wang Junkai was conferred as Youth Ambassador of APEC VOF

Well-known Chinese young actor and singer Wang Junkai was conferred as Youth Ambassador of APEC VOFat the session.

In his speech, Wang recalled his visit to Africa as UN Environment National Goodwill Ambassador. After seeing baby elephants in Africa trapped in misery or danger, Wang called on the public to boycott ivory trade and any products that comes at the price of hurting animals in order to make the ecosystem better. He also encouraged his peers to hold their responsibilities and get more involved in international affairs by participating APEC VOF and focusing on the development of the world.

Han Tianqi, managing director of APEC China VOF

Han Tianqi, managing director of APEC China VOF, briefedhighlights of its 2018/19 work summary.

First, the participation rate and its influence of APEC China VOF have been greatly enhanced, with the number of registered contestants reaching a record high of more than 100,000 in 2018, up from less than 100 in 2017. The official account of APEC VOF on Weibo, a Chinese microblogging website, has received 300 million views so far.

Second, the public benefit is fully considered in the selection process. It’s totally free of charge and a scholarship covering the travelling expenses is available for those who came from poor families.

Thirdly, a team of experienced instructors offer online and offline lectures for contestants, with topics ranging from entrepreneurship, international free trade to how to make an excellent resume.

During the forum, attendees including business leaders and scholars also attended the roundtable meetings to discuss pressing issues on youth development.

(ASIA PACIFIC DAILY)