
At the dinner celebrating the newly awarded GCA Fellowships and the conclusion of the 9th Global China Dialogue at Kingswell Hotel Tongji, the newly awarded GCA Fellow Ian Stafford chaired the entire dinner session. We greatly appreciated the professional chairship of this multiple award-winning British sportswriter, journalist, broadcaster, and event host. Kai Liang, Event Officer at the Global China Academy and Director of Business Development at MEL Science, UK, served as the interpreter, demonstrating exceptional clarity and fluency in facilitating communication. Their contributions ensured a smooth and enjoyable evening for all attendees. The event fostered a lively and engaging atmosphere, strengthening connections among participants.

The newly awarded GCA Fellow, Professor LI Yang (top), expressed that it is a lifelong honour to become a GCA Fellow. From a social scientific perspective, he reviewed global development historically in three stages and discussed its evolving trends. His insights enriched the evening, adding a thought-provoking dimension to the celebration.

The GCA Life Fellow, Professor ZHU Guanglei (bottom), expressed his happiness at seeing the growing number of GCA Fellowships and the steady development of GCA. He encouraged academics from universities to contribute by utilizing GCA’s platform to advocate for their research, promote scholarly exchange, and facilitate the implementation of research findings for the betterment of society.

Other speakers, either present in person or absent, had their short video recordings with English and Chinese subtitles played. They are:
- Professor CHEN Qiwei (top second right), Director of the Yangtze River Delta Fintech Research Institute at East China Normal University, leads a high-level think tank and a specialized platform integrating industry, academia, and research in the field of fintech
- Dr Yuan Cheng (top right), Trustee of the Board of Trustees, Global China Academy, is the Chair of Russell Reynolds Associates Greater China.
- Professor Patrick Baert, Professor of Social Theory at the University of Cambridge and a Fellow of Selwyn College, Cambridge, UK
- Professor LIU Shaojie, former Director of the Centre for Sociological Theory and Methodology at Renmin University of China; Chair Professor at the School of Social and Political Sciences at Anhui University, China
- Professor Martin Lockett, former Dean of the Faculty of Business, professor in the Department of International Business and Management at the University of Nottingham Ningbo China.
- Professor Yu Guoming, Director of the Academic Committee of the School of Journalism and Communication and leads the Communication Innovation and Future Media Laboratory at Beijing Normal University, China
Click here to read their videos transcriptions.

The 9th Global China Dialogue was held at Tongji University in Shanghai on November 29, 2024, marking the first time the event was hosted in China. The theme of this year’s event was ‘AI and Global Society: Building, Governance, and Communication,’ and it featured the First International Forum on Cross-Media Intelligent Communication. The conference included four panel discussions covering AI ethics, society building, global shifts in perceptions, and applications in fields such as health and media.
Keynote speakers included Professor Tony McEnery and Professor Jiang Huiling. The event also recognized outstanding contributions through GCA Fellowships and the Young Scholars’ Paper Award, and for the first time in China, a dinner reception was held to foster cross-cultural exchanges. This dialogue provided a new platform for international collaboration, focusing on the role of AI in shaping global society and communication.



