Youth urged to focus on innovation and service

Representatives talk on the sidelines of Y20 China 2016 in Shanghai on Wednesday. The event for young adults is affiliated with the G20 Leaders Summit, which will take place in September. [Photo by Gao Erqiang/China Daily]

More than 100 delegates aged 18 to 30 from G20 member states, guest countries and international organizations attended the weeklong Youth 20 event in Shanghai on Wednesday. It's a platform for young adults to discuss hot global issues and topics.

The gathering－known as Y20 China 2016－is affiliated with the G20 Leaders Summit to be held in September in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province.

The theme, "Youth Innovation for Our Shared Vision", is in line with the G20 theme, "Toward an Innovative, Invigorated, Interconnected and Inclusive World Economy".

Many topics are on the agenda for participants, including the elimination of poverty, joint development, entrepreneurship and creative thinking, social justice, green lifestyles and sustainability, and global governance.

Opinions and suggestions from the delegates will be gathered, and a statement will be drafted and submitted to the preparatory committee of the G20 summit.

"We want to encourage young people worldwide to boost innovation and contribute to industry," said Wang Meng, head of China delegation.

"The sustainable development goal for 2030 has been adopted by more than 120 UN members, so we want to use this platform to gather with other delegations to find solutions for the future world," Wang said.

As part of the event, delegates visited Beijing on July 24.

Vice-President Li Yuanchao met the delegates on Monday and called on young people from G20 member countries to inject vitality into the world economy through entrepreneurship and innovation.

Li told the delegates that the Chinese government highly values young people's desire to contribute to global economic governance.

He also called on young people to play a positive role in the building of a more just and equitable international order, as well as a more fair and rational global governance system, according to Xinhua News Agency.