The second meeting of the 7th Executive Committee of the International Confucian Association (ICA) was held at Yundang Academy in Xiamen, East China's Fujian province, on Oct 17. The meeting focused on further implementing the Global Civilization Initiative, reviewing the ICA's work over the past year, and outlining key tasks for the next stage.

ICA President Sun Chunlan presided over and addressed the meeting, while ICA Chair Fukuda Yasuo delivered a written address.

The meeting brought together 41 Executive Committee members from 17 countries, namely, China, the Republic of Korea, Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, Iran, India, Indonesia, Egypt, Morocco, Seychelles, Iceland, Denmark, France, Greece, Argentina, and Brazil.

Zhang Yan, a member of the Standing Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Fujian Provincial Committee and head of the Publicity Department of the CPC Fujian Provincial Committee, attended the meeting upon invitation. Wu Bin, mayor of Xiamen, was also present and delivered a speech.

In her address, Sun emphasized the special significance of holding the meeting in Xiamen. She noted the ICA's significant progress across various areas over the past year, with strong support from the Chinese government and the international community, and through the joint efforts of its members, council members, advisors and standing bodies.

Sun pointed out as the world is undergoing profound changes unseen in a century, China's proposal of the vision of building a community with a shared future for humanity, along with a series of significant global initiatives, has demonstrated increasing historical foresight and contemporary relevance. She said that the international community is paying growing attention to the global significance of Confucianism and traditional Chinese culture, and expects to strengthen cultural exchanges and dialogue among civilizations to contribute cultural and civilizational strength to building a community with a shared future for humanity.

Sun emphasized the importance of deeply understanding the significance of inheriting and promoting Confucianism and other fine traditional cultures and engaging in civilizational dialogues, so as to jointly shoulder a noble cultural mission. She called for thorough implementation of the integration of the basic tenets of Marxism with fine traditional Chinese culture, to pool global scholarly expertise, focus on practical applications and addressing real-world concerns in academic research, and produce high-quality academic outcomes.

Sun also called for continuously expanding and deepening international cultural exchanges, enhancing the global influence of the ICA's flagship forums such as the Hehe Civilization Forum and the Islam-Confucianism Civilizational Dialogue, and strengthening youth exchanges across nations.

She further advocated for innovative approaches to interpreting and disseminating Confucianism and fine traditional Chinese culture, and introducing the "ICA + Women" concept to promote fine traditional culture among women worldwide.

Looking ahead, Sun emphasized that the ICA should strategically plan for its development during the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-30), including membership expansion, institutional strengthening, developing training bases, and building strategic cooperation systems with the aim of building a community with a shared future for humanity.

Hao Ping, executive vice-president of the ICA, delivered a work report on the ICA's work since the first meeting of the 7th Executive Committee and its work priorities for the next stage. The report was reviewed and approved by the Executive Committee following deliberation.

Executive Committee members, including Vincent Meriton, former vice-president of Seychelles; Phinij Jarusombat, former deputy prime minister of Thailand; and Ong Tee Keat, former deputy speaker of the Malaysian House of Representatives, delivered speeches. They expressed high recognition of the vision of building a community with a shared future for humanity in their addresses, highly affirmed the ICA's work over the past year, and provided suggestions for its further development based on their national contexts and practical experience.

Representatives from the ICA's Secretariat, its committees, and research and training bases also attended the meeting. Prior to the meeting, all participating Executive Committee members posed for a group photo.

Established in 1994, the ICA stands as one of China's earliest international social organizations. Distinguished by its academic rigor, international scope, grassroots involvement, and professional expertise, the ICA is dedicated to studying and inheriting the essence of Confucianism and other Chinese traditional cultural philosophies, facilitating the global dissemination of Confucianism, and fostering exchanges and mutual learning between Chinese civilization and other civilizations of the world.

The association currently comprises nearly 1,000 group and individual members across more than 120 countries and regions.

According to the Articles of the ICA, the Executive Committee serves as the executive body of the Congress and the Council, consisting of the association's president, chairperson, executive vice-president, vice-presidents, vice-chairpersons, council members, secretary-general, deputy secretaries-general, and directors of various committees. The Executive Committee is convened annually.