Director of the UNESCO Regional Office for East Asia Shahbaz Khan Visits the ICC

Zhou Hong (Right) and Shahbaz Khan (Left)

On 29 April 2026, Mr. Shahbaz Khan, Director of the UNESCO Multisectoral Regional Office for East Asia and Representative to China, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Japan, Mongolia and the Republic of Korea, led a delegation to visit the International Cooperation Center (ICC). Ms. Zhou Hong, Chairperson of the Academic Committee of the ICC and Member of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS), and Mr. Zhang Yu, Convenor of the Joint Meeting and Director of the Steering Committee of the ICC, met with Mr. Shahbaz Khan at the Jianguomen Office of the ICC. Both sides held that the sustained and steady development of relations between China and UNESCO is conducive to world peace and prosperity. For a long time, China has attached great importance to UNESCO and supported it in playing an important role in promoting world development. The two sides conducted in-depth exchanges and reached important consensus on issues such as promoting international cooperation in education, science, culture and other fields, advancing mutual respect and exchanges and mutual learning among different civilizations, and safeguarding world peace and development.

On the stone tablet in front of the headquarters building of UNESCO, the following sentence is inscribed in multiple languages: "Since wars begin in the minds of men, it is in the minds of men that the defenses of peace must be constructed."

The ICC briefed Mr. Shahbaz Khan on the official mechanisms established with the United Nations and other international organizations as well as the progress of related work. Both sides stated that as a comprehensive research institution on international issues, the ICC is an important window for China to carry out foreign exchanges and cooperation; UNESCO, aiming to promote cooperation among countries through education, science and culture, is the world's largest intergovernmental intellectual cooperation organization. The two sides share highly consistent concepts and should work together to advance the cause of peace and development. The ICC has long organized forward-looking conferences with the United Nations; in recent years, it has co-hosted major conferences and events with the United Nations System in China, including the Preparatory Meeting for the United Nations Future Summit and activities commemorating the 80th anniversary of the founding of the United Nations. The ICC and UNESCO will build broad consensus and deepen international cooperation in such fields as promoting multilateralism, advancing global development, and conducting international exchanges and cooperation, jointly commit to "constructing peace in the minds of men", and make greater contributions to promoting dialogue among world civilizations and the progress of human development.

Li Minrong (Left), Chairman of the China Institute of Science and Technology Evaluation (CISTE) & Deputy Director of the Editorial Board of the “Blue Book of World TaiChi”, and Shahbaz Khan (Right)

The two sides also discussed other matters. Since January 2024, the ICC has provided relevant support and coordination for the initiative of establishing the "International Taijiquan Day" launched by the China Institute of Science and Technology Evaluation (CISTE) and the Editorial Board of the Blue Book of World TaiChi. On 20 March 2026, to celebrate the first "International Taijiquan Day", the International Symposium on Taijiquan, guided by the ICC and the CISTE, and hosted by the Editorial Board of the Blue Book of World TaiChi, was held at the Conference Center of National People's Congress in Beijing. In his video speech for the Symposium, Mr. Shahbaz Khan, Director and Representative of the UNESCO Regional Office for East Asia, stated that nowadays, hundreds of millions of people in more than 180 countries and regions around the world practice Taijiquan. Its growing international influence shows that Taijiquan is not only a traditional Chinese martial art, but also a common cultural heritage that transcends national borders and cultures. UNESCO attaches great importance to the protection of living cultural traditions that can enhance social cohesion, promote well-being and facilitate cross-cultural dialogue.

Related Link:

Director of the UNESCO Regional Office for East Asia Prof. Shahbaz Khan Delivers Video Address at International Taijiquan Symposium Marking Inaugural International Taijiquan Day

https://en.icc.org.cn/news/media_materials/444.html