The Second Understanding China Conference opened on November 2 at the Yanqi Lake International Conference Center in the suburbs of Beijing with over 40 former heads of state, global strategists and business leaders attending the conference and discussing the development of China's 13th Five-Year Plan as well as the country's role in global governance. Specific topics include China's economic and opening-up strategy in a new era, how China guarantees its peaceful development and Sino-US relations in the construction of the future Asia-Pacific order. Wu Jianming, Executive Vice Chairman of the China Institute for Innovation and Development Strategy and former Chinese ambassador to France, told the media that the 'conference aims to boost better understanding between China and the rest of the world'. He added that 'the name of the conference indicates that there is still misperception over the rise of China by the outside world.'