Columbia Forums in Beijing Explore Sustainability, AI, and Global Development

This spring, the Columbia Global Center Beijing hosted two major public convening with over 50 local alumni and expert speakers and 200 audience: the Beijing Parallel Forum of the 2026 Global Sustainability Summit and the Columbia China Summit Beijing Forum.

Building on its programmatic footprint in globalization, and climate and sustainability, the Columbia Global Center Beijing has played an increasingly significant role in advancing Columbia’s global engagement by developing high-impact programs and leveraging its strong local alumni network.

Supported by a strong alumni community in China, the Beijing Center has developed a platform that connects academic expertise with local context and networks. Through cross-city coordination between Beijing and New York, these forums enable ideas, knowledge, and scholarly dialogue to flow across geographies, disciplines, and institutional boundaries. 

They not only deepen the reach of Columbia’s global intellectual ecosystem and fosters new forms of interdisciplinary engagement, but also positions the Center as a convening space where alumni and local partners can connect, exchange perspectives, and remain actively engaged with the university.

The Beijing Parallel Forum on March 28 brought together more than twenty industry leaders and hundreds of participants. Discussions focused on how technology, capital, and leadership are shaping the future of sustainable development. Instead of treating these as separate topics, speakers looked at how they interact. They examined how technology changes social systems, how capital influences development, and how institutions respond to uncertainty.

A key theme of the forum was the role of women and youth. Speakers pointed out that long-term progress depends on broad participation. Women and young leaders were not framed as supporting voices, but as people shaping priorities and helping build consensus across sectors.

Co-hosted with the Columbia Global ESG Leadership Association, the forum also showed how the Center connects local conversations with Columbia’s global work. By bringing together students, alumni, and industry leaders, it created a setting where ideas could move across communities and be applied in different contexts.

The Columbia China Summit Beijing Forum on April 18 continued this work with a focus on business and technology. Since its launch in 2008, the Columbia China Summit has become an important platform for discussion on China’s economic and business environment. Organized by the Columbia Business School Greater China Society, it brings together professionals from a wide range of industries.

This year’s Beijing Forum focused on how technological breakthroughs are reshaping the global landscape. The program looked at the impact of artificial intelligence on industries, markets, and cross-border investment. Through keynote talks, panel discussions, and networking sessions, the forum brought together executives, entrepreneurs, and investors from different sectors.