2025 Understanding China Conference in Guangzhou: Peter Helis Concludes High-Level Interviews

Peter Helis attended the 2025 Understanding China Conference (30 November – 2 December, Guangzhou), the foremost annual forum on Chinese modernization and its implications for global governance.

Organized by the China Institute for Innovation & Development Strategy (CIIDS) and co-hosted by the Chinese People’s Institute of Foreign Affairs and the Guangdong Provincial Government, this year’s conference attracted approximately 800 participants from 72 countries, with a particularly strong representation from the Global South and the participation of multiple former heads of government.

During the three-day event, Mr. Helis conducted and recorded exclusive in-depth interviews with:

• Hillary Mann Leverett, former White House and U.S. State Department official and CEO of STRATEGA

• H.E. Dr. Hassan Diab, former Prime Minister of Lebanon

• Dr. Steven V. Melnik, Chairman of United World Leaders and former advisor to the U.S. Treasury Department

• Johnson Kong, leading Asia-based authority on IP commercialization and Greater Bay Area strategy

The conversations explored Chinese-style modernization, global energy transitions and dual-carbon pathways, lessons in crisis governance, and practical opportunities for international businesses in the Guangdong–Hong Kong–Macao Greater Bay Area.