On 16 November 2017, the International Think-Tank Symposium was held in Beijing. It was devoted to the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and discussed issues of the development and global significance of China. The event was organized by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and the Chinese International Economic Exchange Center. This is the first large international forum of the expert community after the 19th Congress of the CPC, and it is aimed at discussing the results of the Congress, improving the work on integration of different countries activities for the sake of peace and prosperity. The symposium was attended by world-famous scientists from more than 30 countries worldwide. The symposium organizers consider the Institute of Sociology of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus to be one of the leading Think-Tanks in the world. Therefore, they invited Professor Igor Kotlyarov, Director of the Institute, to participate in the world forum.

The forum’s participants expressed great interest in the report of Igor Kotlyarov. He referred to the sociological research carried out in Belarus, and told about the great work to expand economic, political, cultural and other ties between Belarus and China. And this work, including joint Belarusian-Chinese projects, has unconditional support of the Belarusian people.

Igor Kotlyarov also met Kirill Rudoy, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Belarus to the People's Republic of China, experts from Cuba, Kenya, Tajikistan, South Africa, and discussed further prospects for joint work.