The ninth Paris Peace Forum took place in the French capital from Tuesday to Wednesday, calling for reinforced multilateral cooperation to confront global challenges across security, climate, technology and development.
Held under the theme “From sovereignty to cooperation,” the two-day forum gathered more than 350 global speakers across more than 80 discussion sessions. The agenda spanned four primary tracks: peace and geopolitics, the planet, development, and emerging technologies. Alongside the main event, organizers held a “Child Summit” focused on children’s welfare amid global shifts.
Organizers said this year’s forum was held in a backdrop of strain on multilateral institutions and international law, arguing that nations must strengthen mutual cooperation while preserving sovereignty to effectively address worldwide crises.
In a video speech delivered at the opening session, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres described sovereignty as a core principle of the UN Charter, while noting that cooperation remains essential for nations to safeguard their own sovereignty. Guterres called on the international community to build a networked, multipolar world grounded in international law.
Addressing the tension between safeguarding sovereignty and pursuing multilateralism, Cui Hongjian, a professor at the Academy of Regional and Global Governance at Beijing Foreign Studies University, warned against rising unilateralism.
“Currently, some countries are pursuing many unilateralist, or even hegemonic policies. As a result, for many nations, the issue of how to enhance their own capabilities — especially the capability to safeguard and defend their sovereignty — has become rather urgent. On the other hand, however, the enhancement and strengthening of sovereignty should not contradict international cooperation,” Cui said.
This year’s forum also placed particular emphasis on cooperation regarding critical mineral resources. Experts noted that as long-standing major suppliers of mineral resources, countries of the Global South still need stronger voice and protection of their interests in international resource cooperation, calling for more open and inclusive mechanisms to help them better participate in global industrial and supply chains.
“As a representative country of the Global South, China has actually made substantial policy, financial, and industrial investments over the years, both in strengthening trade and industrial cooperation with other Global South countries and in promoting green and digital transformation,” Cui said.
Launched in 2018, the Paris Peace Forum serves as an international platform for states, international organizations, and non-governmental actors to advance global governance solutions.
9th Paris Peace Forum urges global cooperation amid rising pressures on multilateralism
China’s appropriately accommodative monetary policy continued to deliver results in the third quarter, while the quality and effect of financial sector serving the real economy continued to improve, said the third-quarter monetary policy report released by the People’s Bank of China (PBOC) on Wednesday.
The PBOC, China’s central bank, said in the report that the country’s credit structure continued to optimize in the third quarter.
At the end of September, loans to the technology, green, inclusive finance, elderly care and digital economy sectors grew 12.0 percent, 13.0 percent, 6.5 percent, 16.2 percent and 15.7 percent year on year, respectively, all continuing to outpace overall loan growth.
Financing costs across the economy remained low, the report showed, with new corporate loans in September carrying rates slightly below 3.0 percent and new personal housing loans around three percent.
The yuan exchange rate remained basically stable at a reasonable and balanced level. At the end of September, the yuan closed at 6.7053 per U.S. dollar, appreciating 4.1 percent from the end of 2025.
Looking ahead, the PBOC said it will continue to implement the appropriately accommodative monetary policy, comprehensively use and adjust monetary policy tools as appropriate, and guide the growth of social financing and money supply to match economic growth and the expected target for overall prices.
The central bank will seek to create a suitable monetary and financial environment for stable economic growth, high-quality development and the smooth operation of financial markets.
Appropriately accommodative monetary policy continues to deliver results in Q3: Central Bank