—— Restarting Reform and Opening-up
2018 World Special Economic Zone Development (Shenzhen) Forum
On June 15-17, 2018, the 2018 World Special Economic Zone Development (Shenzhen) Forum was held at the Bauhinia Villa, Shenzhen jointly by the China Center for Special Economic Zone Research of Shenzhen University (CCSEZR), a key research institute of humanities and social sciences of the Ministry of Education of China, the Belt and Road Research Institute (Shenzhen) for International Cooperation and Development (BRRIICD), Qianhai Institute for Innovative Research in Shenzhen, and China Construction News. Themed after “Restarting Reform and Opening-up”, the forum was attended by more than 200 participants, including: leaders from the People's Government of Shenzhen Municipality, the Publicity Department of Shenzhen Municipal Committee of the CPC, and the Economy, Trade and Information Commission of Shenzhen Municipality; experts and scholars from over 50 renowned think tanks, universities, scientific research institutions and academic journal publishers such as Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS), Guangdong Academy of Social Sciences, Hainan Academy of Social Sciences, China Development Institute (CDI), Shenzhen Academy of Social Sciences, Peking University, Tsinghua University, Fudan University, Sun Yat-sen University, Harbin Institute of Technology, Social Sciences in China Press (SSCP), Social Science Research, and Economic Perspectives; and journalists from media such as Xinhua News Agency, China Media Group, Phoenix TV, Guangdong TV, Shenzhen TV, China News Service, 21st Century Business Herald, Southern Daily, Guangzhou daily, Shenzhen Special Zone Daily, Shenzhen Evening News and Shenzhen News.
Wu Yihuan, vice mayor of Shenzhen, delivers remarks
On the morning of June 16, Prof. Tao Yitao hosted the opening ceremony. She now works as the vice secretary of CPC Committee and secretary of the Discipline Inspection Commission at Shenzhen University (SZU), director of the CCSEZR, and dean of the BRRIICD. Wu Yihuan, vice mayor of Shenzhen municipal people's government delivered remarks at the opening ceremony. In her opening remarks, mayor Wu said Shenzhen Special Economic Zone (SEZ), since its inception, has taken on the natural mission of playing a pioneering and exploratory role in economic development. After four decades’ painstaking effort, we will continue to take advantage of, strategize and further reform and opening-up with a higher starting point. Shenzhen SEZ will continually witness the trailblazing initiative we develop, carry on the modernization and urbanization miracles, and provide more experience that the rest of the world can draw on and apply. I believe the forum is a great place for us to sum up valuable experience in building and planning for a better future of SEZs, and to spark insight and inspiration through exchange of views and thoughts.
Chen Jinhai, deputy director of the Publicity Department of Shenzhen Municipal Committee of the CPC, delivers remarks
Chen Jinhai, deputy director of the Publicity Department of Shenzhen Municipal Committee of the CPC, said in his remarks that Shenzhen serves as an important window both for showcasing China’s achievements made through reform and opening-up and for the international community to understand China’s reform and opening-up. As an important platform to stoke up academic innovation and theoretical research, the World Special Economic Zone Development Forum has garnered both national and international influence in the sphere of SEZ research. Themed after “Restarting reform and opening up”, the Forum does come at a right time and is of great significance that it will enable SEZs to always stand at the forefront of reform and opening-up. The Forum will provide strong intellectual support for SEZ development and a consensus will be reached on the theory of “Restarting Reform and Opening up”.
Prof. Liu Hongyi, secretary of CPC Committee of SZU, delivers a speech
Prof. Liu Hongyi, secretary of CPC Committee of SZU, said in his speech that SZU has scored skyrocketing growth over the past 35 years as Shenzhen SEZ went through great evolution. It has made tremendous contribution to Shenzhen and the whole country by fostering talents. CCSEZR is committed to the research of world SEZs and provides crucial intellectual support for national strategy and regional development, especially the strategy of “Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area” and the Belt and Road Initiative.
Experts and scholars in the Forum conducted in-depth discussions centering on “the Theoretical Values and Practical Significance of Restarting Reform and Opening-up in a New Era”.
Gao Shangquan, former vice-minister of the SCRES, delivers a speech
Gao Shangquan, former vice-minister of the State Commission for Restructuring the Economic System (SCRES), focused on his involvement as a drafting group member in the Decision of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China on the Establishment of the Socialist Market Economy in 1993 from the aspect of top-level design and reviewed the past exploration of whether to establish the “socialist labor market”.
Li Youwei, former secretary of CPC Shenzhen Municipal Committee, delivers a speech
Li Youwei, former secretary of CPC Shenzhen Municipal Committee, talked about the crucial measures for a transition from planned economy to market economy in Shenzhen SEZ during his tenure from the aspect of local government reform, which include government support to foster market, market regulation to minimize government intervention, lessening of government regulation for greater participation of enterprises and emancipation of labor in enterprises. A market economy system and operation mechanism were eventually established.
Wang Jingsheng, current counselor of the State Council and special expert of National Culture and Arts Think Tank, delivers a speech
Wang Jingsheng, current counselor of the State Council and special expert of National Culture and Arts Think Tank, believes that mass entrepreneurship and innovation can stoke up the development of new technologies, industries and business forms so as to change the economic structure. The new industries and business forms can help promote employment. Mass entrepreneurship and innovation provides more opportunities for social mobility, especially an upward mobility from middle or lower class and is conducive to sparking innovative gene in Chinese culture. It will promote the government to streamline administration and delegate powers, optimize services and build a serve-oriented government with efficiency under the rule of law. This concept was endorsed in a UN resolution which represents China’s attitude and voice in this regard.
Prof. Tang Jie of Harbin Institute of Technology and former vice mayor of Shenzhen Municipal Government delivers a speech
Prof. Tang Jie of Harbin Institute of Technology and former vice mayor of Shenzhen Municipal Government believes that Shenzhen SEZ should vigorously carry on the innovative spirit of reform and opening-up and blaze new trail so as to build a developed market economy with Chinese characteristics and well-established legal environment and to stand at the forefront of global innovation.
Prof. Tao Yitao, vice secretary of the CPC Committee of SZU, secretary of the Discipline Inspection Commission of SZU, director of the CCSEZR and dean of BRRIICD, delivers a speech
Prof. Tao Yitao, vice secretary of the CPC Committee of SZU, secretary of the Discipline Inspection Commission of SZU, director of the CCSEZR and dean of BRRIICD, stressed that the Forum aims to commemorate the 40th anniversary of China's reform and opening-up, summarize the successful experience of China's SEZs, review changes of China's social system and demonstrate the uniqueness and internal mechanism of China path so as to provide experience for and solutions to emerging economies, deepen reforms and expand the landscape of opening-up, accelerate the construction of an innovative China, and explore new impetus for new thoughts and institutional innovations to embark on a new growth journey.
Prof. Wang Jun, dean of Guangdong Academy of Social Sciences, delivers a speech
Prof. Wang Jun, dean of Guangdong Academy of Social Sciences, believes that the “pilot before roll-out” approach constitutes a basic feature and a crucial part of China’s progressive reform. Pilot is usually carried out in the following two ways: 1. Pilot before roll-out; 2. Knowledge related to a specific time and environment. Though with boundary limits, both types of pilot play an exemplary and guiding role and constitute a general characteristic of China's economic transformation. Prof. Yuan Yiming, deputy director of CCSZER believes that an effective institutional reform can be seen from the development of Shenzhen SEZ that entails industrialization, urbanization and modernization, and in particular the vigorous reform and constant advances in institutional design and innovation led by different levels of Shenzhen municipal government provide the original impetus for the development of Shenzhen SEZ. Luo Haigping, associate professor of the Center of Central China Economic and Social Development Research in Nanchang University believes that Shenzhen SEZ has moved towards a system transition and economic development by learning from and catching up with the Hong Kong model. This constitute a shift from follower to leader and a chain of knowledge spillover from leaders to followers.
Wang Lei, director general of the Bureau of International Cooperation, CASS, delivers a speech
Wang Lei, director general of the Bureau of International Cooperation of CASS, believes that the Belt and Road Initiative has fueled some new trends for China over the past five years. The Initiative has driven an all-round opening-up of China, which shifts from “ushering in” to “going global”, and has witnessed a remarkable contribution of China to global governance and development.
Deng Ke, chairman of Higgs Block Technology, delivers a speech
Deng Ke, chairman of Higgs Block Technology, believes that blockchain can represent both digital economy and real economy, and improve the efficiency of the latter. Specifically, we can use the distributed ledger characteristic of blockchain to boost efficiency for financial clearing and settlement services, build an ecological platform of shared governance for user services by using the decentralization feature of blockchain technologies, and create a new consensus-based trading and engine business model by using blockchain-based smart contracts.
Prof. Yuan Yiming, deputy director of CCSZER, presides over the closing ceremony
Prof. Yuan Yiming, deputy director of CCSZER, presided over the closing ceremony. He indicated that an effective institutional reform can be seen from the development of Shenzhen SEZ that entails industrialization, urbanization and modernization, and the vigorous reform and constant advances in institutional design and innovation in particular led by different levels of Shenzhen municipal government provide the original impetus for the development of Shenzhen SEZ.
Launch of a new book in the series of Research on Reform and Opening-up
The forum also witnesses the launch of a new book titled The Development of China’s Special Economic Zones (1978-2018) in the series of Research on Reform and Opening-up, a “National Key Book Publishing Program” of the 13th Five Year by Social Sciences Academic Press. Experts and scholars were invited to review the past 40 decades’ reform and opening-up history and to take a look into the future development of Shenzhen SEZ.
The Forum, titled “Restarting Reform and Opening up”, reviews China's reform and opening up in the past 4 decades in a rational manner and ignites intellectual sparks in the meaningful discussions on theories of and solutions to an all-round deepened reform and opening-up in a new era.
The Forum aims to commemorate the 40th anniversary of China's reform and opening-up, summarize the successful experiences of China's SEZs, explore a path for the transition of China's social system and demonstrate the uniqueness and internal mechanism of China Path so as to provide experience and solutions for emerging market economies, deepen reforms and explore a new opening-up landscape in a new era, accelerate the construction of an innovative China, and explore new impetus for new thoughts and institutional innovations to embark on a new growth journey.
Group photo of participants in the 2018 World SEZ Development (Shenzhen) Forum
