Confucius' ideas on benevolence, social order and society continue to offer insights for today, said Maltese sinologist Salvatore Giuffre at this year's Nishan Forum on World Civilizations and China International Confucius Cultural Festival in Qufu, Shandong province.

He shared his views on how these ideas can be considered by different societies as they reflect on their own approaches to social development and governance.

He said that ancient perspectives on how society could function may still offer useful insights for the present.

Watch the video to hear his perspective.