According to a report by the website of Tsinghua University News on 28 September, the series events marking the 2,565th anniversary of the birth of Confucius were jointly held by the International Confucian Association, UNESCO and the China Confucius Foundation from 24 to 28 September. The opening ceremony took place at the Great Hall of the People, with President Xi Jinping attending the seminar and delivering important remarks. President Xi also met with the members and scholars of the International Confucian Association from home and abroad.

As a reflection of concern about the future of the world and the destiny of humanity, the conference was themed “Confucianism: World Peace and Development”. During the conference, the new leadership of the International Confucian Association was elected, with Professor Chen Lai, Dean of the Academy of Chinese Learning of Tsinghua University elected as the new Vice Chairman of the Association

The International Confucian Association is an international academic association established in Beijing on 5 October 1994, with the initiation of Confucian research organizations and individuals from China, the ROK, Japan, Singapore, the United States, Germany, Viet Nam and China’s Hong Kong and Taiwan. Its purpose is to study Confucianism, inherit the fine Confucian ideas, promote Confucianism and advance the freedom, equality, peace, development and prosperity of humanity.