The 16th Forum of the World Association for Political Economy (WAPE), was grandly held in Pingtan, Fujian, on September 25th. It was co-sponsored by WAPE, Fujian Normal University (FNU), Administrative Committee of Pingtan Comprehensive Experimental Zone and the National Center for the Study of Political Economy of Socialism with Chinese Characteristics, and co-organized by the School of Economics of FNU, the School of Marxism of Nankai University, Fujian Branch of Agricultural Bank of China, and the Pingtan Comprehensive Experimental Zone Straits Culture & Media Ltd, .
Nearly 350 representatives attended the opening ceremony, including Cheng Enfu, Member of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Chief Professor of the University of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and President of WAPE, Ye Shen, Secretary of Education Commission of the CPC Fujian Province Committee, Secretary and Director General of the Provincial Department of Education Party Committee, Xiao Guixin, Deputy Minister of the Publicity Department of the CPC Fujian Province Committee, Director of the Provincial Bureau of Press and Publication (Fujian Provincial Bureau of Copyright ) and first-level inspector, Lai Jun, Secretary of the CPC Working Committee of the Pingtan Comprehensive Experimental Zone, Zheng Dongyu, Member and Vice Chairman of the Party Committee of Fujian Provincial Federation of social science circles, Wu Wentong, President of Fujian Education Association for International Exchange Chen Xunming, Member of the Party Working Committee and Deputy Director of the Management Committee of Pingtan Comprehensive Experimental Zone, Pan Yuteng, Secretary of the Party Committee of FNU and Chen Qinghua, Vice President of FNU. Besides, experts, scholars from over 20 countries and regions, as well as from more than 50 domestic universities, research institutions, journal editors, news media reporters, and representatives of FNU's faculty and students also got there for the opening ceremony. And it was hosted by Chen Qinghua.
Cheng Enfu, on behalf of WAPE, warmly welcomed the experts and scholars from various countries participating in the forum. He pointed out that the artificial intelligence(AI) technology and the digital economy underwent a new round of comprehensive and deep revolution, and the international balance of power was drastically adjusted. We should not only see the problems and difficulties such as the sharp slowdown in the world economic growth rate, the shrinking growth of international trade, the rising level of global debt, the continuous aggravation of the financial market turbulence, and the obvious negative interaction of de-globalization, but also deeply recognize the new pattern of the world economic development and the revolution of the global economic governance. “The new landscape of the world economy, in which the west descends and the east ascends”, is determined by the many contradictions in the United States from within and without, and the mechanism and law of the decline of its hegemony; it is also the result of the active participation of many developing countries in global cooperation for development, the active expansion of channels for development, and their insistence on self-reliance and independence. The Chinese path to modernization is not a path of Westernization or monopoly capitalism. The construction of a system of indicators for evaluating economic modernization, which suits domestic and foreign realities and is guided by modern Marxist economics, is an important task for the scientific understanding and eventual realization of the development of global socialist modernization and of a new civilization of socialism and communism for humankind.
Zong Wa, Deputy Secretary General of China Education Association for International Exchanges (CEAIE), delivered a speech via video. He pointed out that further opening up China's education to the world and strengthening international exchange and cooperation are not only an urgent need for China's education reform and development, but also a major topic of common concern in the field of education in the world, and an important source of vitality and impetus for the world's economic and social development. Since its establishment, CEAIE has given full play to the advantages of social organizations and actively carried out international cooperation and exchanges in education with other countries in the world. In the future, it will also make use of the Association's advantages in international resources to actively introduce and effectively integrate high-quality education resources from abroad, promote the development of Chinese-foreign cooperative education in the direction of high level and high quality, and promote the diversified cooperation between domestic colleges and universities and international first-class universities in the construction of basic disciplines, emerging disciplines and cross-disciplines, as well as cultivate top talents in science and technology innovation.
Pan Yuteng, on behalf of FNU, extended his sincere greetings to the experts and scholars who came to the forum, and introduced the overall development of the university and the achievements of theoretical economics discipline. He said that Chinese modernization provides a new choice for human beings to realize modernization, and provides a sequence of major topics for the world political economy community to deepen research. Focusing on the theme of The Process of Chinese Modernization and World Modernization, the forum has carried out in-depth discussions, integrated wise ideas, deepened exchanges and mutual understanding, and enhanced cooperation and consensus, which fully reflects that the world political economy community is based on the profound changes unseen in a century, and has examined the path of Chinese modernization and the process of world modernization from a multi-dimensional perspective. We ought to make efforts to answer the questions of China, the world and the times, which will assuredly have a positive and far-reaching impact on the research and development of the world political economy.
On behalf of the CPC Working Committee and Management Committee of Pingtan Comprehensive Experimental Zone, Lai Jun expressed a warm welcome to the experts and scholars who came to the forum. He introduced Pingtan as a new window for China's opening up to the world and a new bridge for cultural exchanges and mutual understanding. Pingtan has always been following the strategic blueprint of one island, two windows and three districts drawn by General Secretary Xi Jinping, and has achieved positive results in moving towards modernization and the world. He said that WAPE has a high reputation and influence in the world, providing an important platform and contributing unique wisdom to promote exchanges between contemporary Chinese Marxist political economy and world political economy. The holding of this forum will certainly have a positive impact on promoting the innovation and development of Marxist political economy, and provide valuable experience for Pingtan to explore the vivid practice of Chinese modernization and accelerate its integration into global cooperation and development.
Ye Shen, on behalf of the Education Department of Fujian Province, congratulated the opening of the forum and extended a warm welcome to the participating experts and scholars. He pointed out that the convening of the forum is of great significance to the construction of the discipline of Marxist political economy in our province and even to the promotion of higher education development in Fujian Province. He hopes that leaders, experts, and scholars from home and abroad can take advantage of this platform to jointly discuss and promote in-depth exchanges and cooperation between contemporary Chinese Marxist political economy and world political economy, spark intellectual inspiration, promote innovative development, and provide more theoretical and intellectual support for the construction of the new development stage and the new Fujian. He also hopes that taking this forum as an opportunity, FNU can fully leverage its unique advantages, explore and construct a Marxist political economy discipline and talent cultivation model that is more in line with the requirements of the new era, and conduct research, interpretation, and promotion of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era.
The opening ceremony announced the winners of Marxian Economics Award in 2023 and Distinguished Achievement Award of World Political Economy for the 21st Century, followed by an award presentation. Cheng Enfu, Ye Shen, Xiao Guixin, Lai Jun, Zheng Dongyu, Wu Wentong, Chen Xunming, and Pan Yuteng jointly pressed the switch to light up the pillar symbolizing the 16th Forum of World Association of Political Economy. They also planted a commemorative tree outdoors with Professor Li Jianping and Professor Heinz-Dieterich, the winners of the Marxian Economics Award in 2023. After the opening ceremony, the forum ushered in its first plenary session, where six experts and scholars delivered speeches.
It is reported that this forum will take place from September 25th to 27th. During the forum, there will be two plenary sessions and multiple sub-forum presentations. Experts and scholars will engage in in-depth discussions on topics including the political economy methodology and theory of modernization research, Chinese modernization and the global political-economic landscape, innovative development in Chinese modernization and meso-economics, research on political economy of socialism with Chinese characteristics, a comparison between Chinese modernization and capitalist modernization, the practice path of ecological civilization and Chinese path to modernization, the study of basic principles of Marxist economics, and the Chinese characteristics of Chinese modernization.
(Translated by Huang Rui/ Reviewed by Chen Fang)