Leaders of 65 political parties from 44 countries and regions gathered in Xiaogang village, East China's Anhui province, for a forum on Saturday to exchange their opinions on reform, development and the modernization of state governance.

The Wanshou Forum, which has been held 18 times prior to the latest event, was initiated by the International Department of the Central Committee, Communist Party of China, in 2016 as a platform for international exchange and dialogue to promote mutual understanding.

Officials from the department said they choose Xiaogang for the event because the village is the site of a milestone in China's reform and opening-up.

In 1978, after the collective farming policy had been in force nationwide for about 20 years, 18 farmers in Xiaogang village secretly signed an agreement to subdivide their farmland into family plots, in the hope of increasing crop yields by using the new motivation to work harder.

It was a pivotal moment in the country's reform and opening-up policy, which now has been in place for 40 years.