On November 25, 2025, the Berlin Foreign Policy Forum, jointly organized by the Körber Foundation and the German Federal Foreign Office, was held in Berlin, Germany. Professor Wang Dong from Peking University's School of International Studies attended the Forum, where he delivered remarks during the plenary session titled “Overcoming Differences: Reconstructing the Order of Global Cooperation.”
In his keynote address, German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul emphasized that amid the current increasingly fragmented geopolitical, technological, and economic landscape, regional cooperation needs to be strengthened while prioritizing European interests and security.
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul delivering his keynote address
Jordanian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Ayman Safadi, in his keynote address titled “Lessons from War,” underscored the importance of regional stability and called on the international community to support the Syrian government's efforts in rebuilding the nation and consolidating stability.
Ayman Safadi, Jordanian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriate Affairs, delivering a keynote speech
Professor Wang Dong pointed out during the seminar that traditional development aid models, constrained by their conditional requirements, limit the policy space of partner countries. He advocated shifting toward partnerships grounded in equality, mutual respect, and mutual benefit. He emphasized that sustainable international cooperation must center on partner countries' own development needs, providing tangible support for their capacity building through joint planning and implementation.
Furthermore, Professor Wang Dong discussed the pathways to effective partnerships, noting that the key lies in fulfilling commitments through transparent and reliable actions, while ensuring fairness and justice by enhancing the representation of the Global South in international institutions. He called for transcending a binary “friend or foe” geopolitical mindset, reaffirming a commitment to multilateralism with the United Nations at its core, and jointly exploring pragmatic pathways for cooperation.
Joining Prof. Wang in the thematic discussion were Cristina Duarte, the UN Under-Secretary-General and Special Adviser on Africa to the UN Secretary-General, and Ingrid-Gabriela Hoven, the Managing Director of the Management Board of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH.
Professor Wang Dong delivering a speech at the Forum
Moreover, Professor Wang Dong attended a closed-door luncheon on Ukraine, where he articulated China's position and engaged in extensive exchanges with numerous European political, academic, and think tank experts.
Against a backdrop of growing fragmentation and uncertainty in the global geopolitical landscape, the Forum provided a vital platform for reflection and reimagining global cooperation.
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