Shan Jixiang, former director of the Palace Museum, delivers a speech at the forum. [Photo by Jiang Dong/China Daily]

A two-day international forum highlighting the significance of ancient civilizations in a modern context opened in the Palace Museum in Beijing on Oct 28.

The academic symposium of the third annual Ministerial Meeting of Ancient Civilization Forum, jointly organized by Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the National Cultural Heritage Administration, and several other national-level institutions, attracted delegates to attend from 16 countries, including Egypt, Greece, Peru and Iraq.

The academic symposium of the third annual Ministerial Meeting of Ancient Civilization Forum attracted delegates to attend from 16 countries, including Egypt, Greece, Peru and Iraq. [Photo by Jiang Dong/China Daily]

The symposium features three main themes: differences and similarities of the world's ancient civilizations, ancient cultural heritage and its continuation and evolution in modern culture, and the Silk Road seen through the lens of archaeology.

At the meeting, delegates are also highlighting the importance of joint efforts to fight against theft and illegal trade in cultural properties, the exchange of ideas and expertise in the conservation of cultural relics, and cooperation in bidding for UNESCO World Heritage sites to better reveal their global value.

The academic symposium of the third annual Ministerial Meeting of Ancient Civilization Forum attracted delegates to attend from 16 countries, including Egypt, Greece, Peru and Iraq. [Photo by Jiang Dong/China Daily]

The first Ministerial Meeting of Ancient Civilization Forum was co-launched by the Greek and Chinese governments in 2017 and held in Athens. Last year's forum took place in La Paz, Bolivia.

This year, the parallel academic symposium of the annual meeting has also been combined with the fourth Taihe Forum, first organized by the Palace Museum in 2016 to enhance understanding of ancient cultures and thus improve inclusiveness and harmonious coexistence among different civilizations in the modern world.