Currently, the Chinese economy is facing structural adjustment and its supply-side reforms are a long-term and arduous task. At the same time, the global economy is witnessing numerous black swan events, which pose great challenges for the future. Against such a backdrop, in order to highlight the national development, the National School of Development (NSD) at PKU held the first National Development Forum on “China in the Era of Global Change”, centering on key issues of the current and future development of China in the Yingjie Overseas Exchange Center on December 18, 2016.
A number of teachers from the NSD at PKU and influential think tanks, economists, management experts and industry leaders both home and abroad addressed at the forum, expounding their respective views, independent opinions, and in-depth judgments on China’s development.
The Forum sets a precedent to explore China's development from cross-border perspectives of academy research and policy-making. Professor Liu Guoen, director of the Academic Committee of the NSD at PKU, concluded that "as long as we uphold the spirit of independence and the spirit of freedom and continue to carry forward the tradition of the PKU, the National Development Forum will continue to grow and become an important driving force for the promotion of Chinese civilization and sound and sustainable development”.
All Flowers of Lang Run Park Blossom in the Spring of Hope
Image: Chen Chunhua, Professor of the NSD and Chairwoman of the Executive Committee of the National Development Forum
The opening ceremony was chaired by Chen Chunhua, professor of the NSD at PKU and Chairwoman of the Executive Committee of the National Development Forum. Chen quoting Dickens "it was the best of times, it was the worst of times; it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair"; China in the era of global change urgently needs visions based on academic norms and insights oriented to future development. The National Development Forum is exactly the embodiment of "Langrun Garden’s commitment to exploring solutions and looking ahead into the evolution of the global pattern in the spirit of encouraging all scholars to contend and seeking common grounds from difference.”
Address by PKU Vice President: the National Development Forum is a dialogue between PKU and the future
Image: Li Yansong, Standing Committee Member of the Party Committee of PKU and Vice President of PKU
On behalf of Hao Ping, Secretary of the Party Committee of PKU, Li Yansong, the Standing Committee Member of the Party Committee of PKU and Vice President of PKU, delivered a speech. He said that since the founding of Peking University 118 years ago, it has always insisted on freedom of thought and making its own voice; if the Beijing Forum is a dialogue between Peking University and the world, then the National Development Forum is a dialogue between Peking University and the future. At present, in a world with fast changing patterns, China is stepping towards deep-water areas of the reform; at such a critical point, scholars of Peking University is more needed than ever to stand up and make dialogue with the future through academics. He wished the forum a complete success and hoped it can be held every year.
Address by Yao Yang, Dean of the NSD: the NSD is committed to promoting the advancement of China
Dean Yao said, the National School of Development is committed to promoting the advancement of China. We can have different academic opinions and academic orientations, but our common goal is to promote the advancement of China.
Image: Yao Yang, Dean of the NSD
The National School of Development advances China's development from three perspectives: academic research, policy research, and business education. In terms of academic research, the program includes economics undergraduates, masters in economics, Ph.D., MBA students and EMBA students; and this year it also witnessed the joining of the South-South Cooperation and Development Institute to train leaders in developing countries. In terms of policy research, the NSD is the one of the first 25 national high-end think tanks with fruitful achievements. As for the business education, the NSD not only offers MBA and EMBA education, but also encourages social practice and development of alumni enterprises, hoping to promote China's development in the respect of business.
He concluded that, as the "Peking University in Peking University," the NSD embraces confrontations of different academic views, which will produce more new ideas and academic inspiration, and help find directions of development for China facing economic downward pressure in the era of global change.
After that, the Forum released the "National Development Innovation and Entrepreneurship Index". Professor Zhang Xiaobo introduced the compilation method of the index as well as the findings of China's innovation and entrepreneurship investigation.
Image: Speech by Professor Zhang Xiaobo, the NSD
The Forum also released a new book View of Langrun Garden, which brings together the multi-disciplinary wisdom covering economics, management and other subjects. It also contains both recommended policies for national development and thinking on the general trend of business choice.
Image: Release of New Book View of Langrun Garden
Lin Yifu: China’s economy is still the engine of the world economic growth
Image: Lin Yifu, Honorary Dean of the NSD and Director of Center for New Structural Economics
Lin Yifu, Honorary Dean of the NSD, Director of Center for New Structural Economics, Member of Standing Committee of the National Political Consultative Conference, Counsellor of the State Council, Vice Chairman of All-China Federation of Industry & Commerce, delivered a keynote speech. From a global perspective, he analyzed the reasons for the current slowdown in China's growth, and argued that the weak economic development in developed countries is an important reason leading to the global economic downturn, with no exception to China; in the future, China can conduct supply-side structural reforms under the premise of modestly expanding the aggregate demand; the quality of economic growth will continue to improve and China’s economy can still be a driving force for world economic growth.
Keynote Speeches and Seminars
This part was presided by Yao Yang, Dean of the NSD at PKU. Four experts, including Han Jun, Deputy Director of the Central Finance and Economics Leading Group Office, Lu Zhongyuan, former Deputy Director of the Development Research Center of the State Council, Yu Yongding, member of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and former member of the Central Bank Monetary Committee and Zhang Weiying, Professor of the NSD at PKU, delivered keynote speeches on agriculture, de-administration, financial reform and innovation respectively followed by discussions.
Image: Speech by Lu Zhongyuan, former Deputy Director of the Development Research Center of the State Council
Image: Speech by Yu Yongding, member of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and former member of the Central Bank Monetary Committee
Image: Speech by Han Jun, Deputy Director of the Central Finance and Economics Leading Group Office
Image: Speech by Zhang Weiying, Professor of the NSD at PKU
In the afternoon, the forum was divided into three parts. The first part was the Macroeconomic Situation led by Professor Lu Feng from the NSD. Fu Chengyu, former Director of SINOPEC, Song Guoqing, Professor of the NSD, and Peng Wensheng, Global Chief Economist of Everbright Securities delivered speeches on the development of state-owned enterprises, macro-economy and financial cycles respectively followed by discussions.
Image: Speech by Professor Lu Feng, the NSD
Image: Fu Chengyu, former Director of SINOPEC
Image: Professor Song Guoqing, the NSD
Image: Speech by Peng Wensheng, Global Chief Economist of Everbright Securities
The second was Business Management and Operation hosted by Ma Hao, Professor of the NSD. Business representatives including Song Zhiping, Director of China National Building Materials Group Corporation, Tian Tao, Senior Management Consultant of Huawei and Wang Shi, Founder and Director of Vanke Group, and academic representatives including Zhang Li, Yang Zhuang and Chen Chunhua, professors of the NSD, explored the issues faced by and ways of breakthrough for the Chinese enterprises from perspectives of practice and theory.
Image: Chaired by Professor Ma Hao of the NSD
Image: Speech by Song Zhiping, Director of China National Building Materials Group Corporation
Image: Speech by Tian Tao, Senior Management Consultant of Huawei
Image: Speech by Wang Shi, Founder and Director of Vanke Group
Image: Speech by Professor Yang Zhuang, the NSD
Image: Speech by Professor Zhang Li, the NSD
Image: Speech by Professor Chen Chunhua, the NSD
Speech by Zhou Qiren: the generation of “ideas”
As the finale of this forum, Professor Zhou Qiren from the NSD at PKU explored the generation of human "ideas" by integrating his observation in the United States, Germany and Israel. He pointed out that the good idea of ??the past was generated by an individual's inspiration, while today it takes the sharing and debating by people from all walks of life to achieve innovation, generate good ideas and promote human progress.
Image: ClosingSpeech by Professor Zhou Qiren, the NSD
Finally, the forum concluded successfully with the summary of the conference by Professor Liu Guoen and the blessing of the audience
Image: Closing Speech by Professor Liu Guoen, the NSD
(Reporter Zhang Tong)