Group photo of conference delegates
17/9/2017
About 100 China scholars and students gathered at the “China at the Crossroads: Economic Challenges and Opportunities” conference on China’s economic policy at the Si Yuan Centre, University of Nottingham on 6th-7th September. The event was organised by the China Research Group of Nottingham University Business School and supported by Nottingham Confucius Institute.
Guest speakers included Professor Justin Yifu Lin, Professor ZHANG Weiying and Professor ZHAO Huiyao from Peking University, Professor Scott Rozelle from Stanford University, Professor Bob Gregory and Professor Xin Meng from National University of Australia, Professor LI Shi of Beijing Normal University, Professor Shujie Yao from Chongqing University, and Professor Stephen L Morgan from Nottingham University Ningbo China. Speeches and discussions covered four broad areas: industrial sectoral upgrading and structure of economic growth; trade and the labour market; entrepreneurship, innovation, and investment; poverty, inequality and welfare.
The delegates were welcomed by Professor Sir David Greenaway, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Nottingham. Attendees were also honoured to be addressed by his Excellency LIU Xiaoming, Chinese Ambassador to the UK, who earlier that day had been awarded an honorary doctorate by Nottingham’s School of Economics.
Professor Justin Yifu Lin and Professor Weiyin Zhang, two of the most influential economists in China, presented their views on China’s future economic growth. According to Professor Lin, by completing and expanding Free Trade Zone Pilots and implementing Belt and Road initiatives, China will have a well-functioning market system and prosperous development experience in the years ahead. Professor Zhang pressed the case for another route for future economic growth though, stating that it depended on innovating entrepreneurs, supported by laws and democracy adjusted to protect them and encourage new ideas, products and processes.
Professor Shujie Yao, Dr Sai Ding and Professor Xin Meng presented the results of their studies into specific methods for economic growth. Professor Yao’s research emphasised the benefit evaluation of domestic infrastructure investment, as exemplified by the fact that high-speed railway projects enhanced urban economic growth and convergence. Dr Ding’s study addressed fiscal discretionary policy, and focussed on how it might induce uncertainty, affecting capital misallocation in manufacturing firms and reducing economic growth. Policy implications raised were increasing fiscal transparency and reducing corresponding policy volatility. Professor Meng argued that future economic growth needed to be transited from export-oriented to domestic demand, with an understanding of the difficulties faced by such a transition, particularly the steady flow of remittances to rural China from migrant labour.
A plethora of expertise and knowledge-sharing was on offer throughout the conference, with our esteemed scholars covering a wide variety of other topics such as childhood development and the effect of Family Planning Commission intervention, house prices and wealth inequality and financial markets and regulation. We cannot do all contributors full justice in this news item, but must state that the quality of work was truly exceptional.
Feedback from delegates was very positive. Many commented that they were thrilled to see so many leading China experts presenting original research and that the conference provided a valuable opportunity to discuss pressing problems that could affect us all. By connecting high-level academic thinking from around the world, the conference gave deep insight and understanding into what the future could have in store for China in the vital years ahead. The conference organisers have also thanked Nottingham Confucius Institute for their continued support in Chinese Studies.
The Nottingham Confucius Institute has so far organised and supported 258 conferences and China seminars since its establishment in Sept 2007, with topics covering China’s economic growth, political reform, ethnic minority polices, civil society development, international relations, energy security, rural sustainable development, social media, soft power and more. It does so by drawing upon resources from various China interested groups, centres and academic schools of the University of Nottingham and its partner Fudan University.
By providing a platform for China scholars from across the globe to discuss China issues and exchange ideas, NCI has helped create an excellent research environment, greatly enhancing Chinese Studies at the University of Nottingham.
~ENDS~
“中国经济国际论坛”在诺丁汉大学孔子学院顺利举行
当地时间9月6日-9月7日，“中国经济国际论坛”在诺丁汉大学孔子学院举行。此次会议是由诺丁汉大学商学院中国研究小组主办，诺丁汉孔子学院承办。会议邀请到了林毅夫教授、张维迎教授、李实教授和斯科特·罗泽勒教授等国际知名学者，这些全球知名的中国问题研究专家对中国的经济和社会问题进行了深入地讨论。
诺丁汉大学校长大卫·格林纳威教授代表诺丁汉大学在大会开幕式上对各位嘉宾的到来表示了热烈的欢迎，并在此重申了中国学研究在诺丁汉大学的重要意义。刚获得诺丁汉大学荣誉博士学位的刘晓明大使在论坛上发表了题为《稳中向好的中国经济为世界提供更多机遇》的演讲。刘晓明大使指出，目前中国经济发展的总趋势是 “稳中向好的态势没有改变，稳的格局更加巩固，好的态势更加明显”，主要体现在供给侧结构性改革初见成效、创新驱动下经济稳健发展、民生保障水平提高、营商环境持续改善以及中国经济引领全球经济增长五个方面。同时，面对世界经济的不确定性，中国有决心也有能力化解各种风险，应对好各种挑战，“中国的经济的发展不仅会造福中国人民，也会惠及世界人民”。
其他学者就中国经济增长、贫富差距和市场经济等问题展开了具体的讨论，关于如何加强中国经济增长，林毅夫教授分析了自贸区试点和一带一路倡议的理论基础及后果。他建议，完成和扩大自由贸易区的试点，将深化中国的市场化改革，中国将有一个运转良好的市场体系。 他还预期，通过与其他国家分享中国成功的经济发展经验，加强彼此合作，一带一路倡议可以实现沿线国家的繁荣。张维迎教授从另一角度提出，只有加强民主和法治，企业家权益得以保障，才能够鼓励他们创新升级，从而推动经济发展。此外，姚树洁教授积极主张对国内基础建设进行效益评估。研究表明高铁的发展提高了城市的经济增长与聚合，减少了区域间的经济差异，李实教授通过实证研究得出不断攀高的房价是导致财富不平等的主因。
此次会议还就社会问题展开了讨论。议题主要聚焦于儿童发展问题，主要包括儿童保育问题和儿童健康问题。斯科特·罗泽勒教授（Professor Scott Rozelle）提出计划生育委员会对幼儿发展的干预有助于减缓农村儿童认知发展迟缓的现象。张静博士和刘兵博士发现与父母提供的保育相比，爷爷、奶奶和社会机构提供的保育会降低儿童的身体素质、适应能力和学习能力。 但是语言和沟通能力不受保育方式差异的影响。儿童健康问题方面，阿列西奥·加格哥罗博士（Dr Alessio Gaggero）指出家庭的规模会影响儿童的健康，家庭规模越大儿童的健康状况越差。史蒂芬·摩根教授（Professor Stephen Morgan）提出中国区域经济发展的不平衡性导致了少数民族与汉族儿童营养摄入的差异。
本次会议是诺丁汉孔院被孔子学院总部授予全球第一批示范孔院揭牌仪式的一系列庆典活动之一。本次会议不仅发挥出了诺丁汉孔子学院示范孔院的优势，而且也为中国经济的持续发展提供了有益理论探讨和学术支持，在国内外学术领域都产生了一定的影响力。
Posted on Tuesday 19th September 2017