Foreign guests have highlighted China's leadership as prudent in handling international affairs, committed to opening-up and focused on translating vision into practical results, linking those qualities to the country's development achievements and its approach to global cooperation.

They made the remarks at the Global Leadership Forum hosted by Renmin University of China in Beijing on Sunday.

Zafar Uddin Mahmood, special representative of the prime minister of Pakistan on China affairs, said China's development over the past decades showed the importance of the right kind of leadership.

He said the country's rise from a relatively closed economy accounting for less than one percent of global trade to the world's second-largest economy and the world's largest goods trader was not accidental, but the result of deliberate efforts backed by strong leadership.

Chinese leaders work for the people, with the sole aim of advancing national development and the common well-being of the population, Mahmood said.

He added that China's leadership training programs were notable for combining theory with practice, allowing participants to observe the country's development firsthand and apply what they learned in ways suited to their own national conditions. Referring to Pakistan's experience, he said the Belt and Road Initiative had brought tangible benefits to participating countries, including in energy and connectivity.

Former Slovenian president Danilo Turk said China's leadership could be seen in global affairs through what he described as a careful and prudent approach to international issues.

He said China handled global affairs in a realistic and fair way while taking other countries into consideration, calling this a form of "quiet leadership". He also said leadership requires openness and cooperation, particularly in emerging fields such as artificial intelligence.

Former Kyrgyz prime minister Djoomart Otorbaev said China's success in recent decades was closely linked to its competitiveness in both domestic and international markets.

At a time when some countries are closing their doors, he said, China is opening its doors in a strategic way with long-term intentions, while also moving to cultivate more talent and position itself as a new global hub for talent. He added that the China University Alliance for "Global Leadership" Talent Cultivation launched at the forum showed China's intention to stay at the forefront of change in global leadership training.