On April 18, 2026, the 3rd Forum on the Development of Chinese Economic Thought convened at Shanghai University of Finance and Economics (SUFE). Centered on “The Construction and Dissemination of China’s Independent Knowledge System in Economics” and a seminar on the English translation of the book series Road to Rejuvenation: Research on New China’s Economic Thought, the forum aimed to delve into the original contributions of Chinese economic theories, advance the building of an international discourse system for Chinese economics, and give play to the leading role of academic exchange and theoretical innovation.
Gu Hailiang, Counsel and Chief Expert of the Central Marxism Research and Construction Project and Member of the National Textbook Commission; Xu Yanan, former Director of the Translation Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and former Chinese Ambassador to Trinidad and Tobago; Xu Tao, Party Secretary of SUFE; together with more than one hundred experts, scholars and guest representatives from dozens of domestic universities, research institutions and well-known publishing and media organizations including Tsinghua University, Peking University, Fudan University, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Zhejiang University, Renmin University of China, Nanjing University, Tongji University, the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, SUFE, Shanghai International Studies University, Zhongnan University of Economics and Law and Shenzhen University attended the conference.
Co-organizers of the forum included the China Institute for the Development of Economic Thought, the Research Affairs Office, the School of Economics and the School of Foreign Languages of SUFE. The Shanghai Society for Economic Restructuring, the SUFE Institute for Global South Finance and Economics, and the Institute for Humanistic Economic Thought and Strategy served as co-supporters, with academic backing from the China Academy of Translation.
At the opening ceremony, Xu Tao, Party Secretary of SUFE, delivered an address and stressed that building China’s independent knowledge system constitutes the core mission for philosophy and social science researchers in the new era. He noted that Chinese economic thought carries a profound heritage and rich connotations. Systematically sorting out and interpreting the original contributions of Chinese economic theories, and integrating them into global academia through academic translation and international communication represent critical responsibilities for contemporary researchers. In recent years, drawing on think tank platforms such as the Institute for Xi Jinping’s Economic Thought, the China Institute for the Development of Economic Thought, the Institute for Global South Finance and Economics, and the Institute for Humanistic Economic Thought and Strategy, SUFE has accelerated the development of the new liberal arts and strived to build an important research hub for theoretical innovation and academic dissemination of Chinese economic thought.
Ms. Wang Yingsi, Director of the Translation Research Center of the Academy of Contemporary China and World Studies, China International Communications Group, and Deputy Secretary-General of the China Academy of Translation, stated in her speech that constructing an international discourse system for Chinese economics requires cross-border collaboration to forge distinctive conceptual markers, integrating Chinese and global perspectives to shape external discourses, and targeted communication to lift international influence. She expressed expectations for deeper cooperation with universities to jointly develop a specialized, systematic and international ecosystem for translating Chinese economic thought.
The opening ceremony was hosted by Professor Liu Zhiyang, Director of the Research Affairs Office of SUFE.
The session for the launch of the English translation project of Road to Rejuvenation: Research on New China’s Economic Thought was presided over by Professor Zhao Ke, Dean of the School of Foreign Languages of SUFE. Senior Professor Cheng Lin, Director of the China Institute for the Development of Economic Thought, elaborated on the compilation philosophy and core content of the series. Gao Jinshui, Editor-in-Chief of Economic Science Press, reviewed the press’s fruitful academic publishing achievements in economics and pledged full support for the subsequent publication and translation of the series. Professor Yang Mingxing from the School of Foreign Languages and Deputy Director of the Institute for Global South Finance and Economics introduced outcomes delivered under the distinctive development model of “foreign languages + finance and economics + international communication + digital and intelligent empowerment” adopted by the translation team, which provides solid guarantees for the English translation of the series. Ms. Zhang Yingying, Senior Editor at Springer Nature, remarked that the English edition of the series would be presented in a rigorous, standardized form adapted to international academic reading habits, serving as an important academic window for global academia to understand Chinese economic thought.
On this occasion, a signing ceremony for the letter of intent on cooperation for the “Translation and Communication Project of Major-Country Economic Diplomacy Discourse” was held. Ms. Wang Yingsi and Professor Zhao Ke signed the letter of intent on behalf of the two sides. Moving forward, the two parties will carry out in-depth cooperation covering the translation and introduction of economic diplomacy discourse and the standardization of translation practices.
The first panel of keynote presentations focused on “Constructing China’s Independent Knowledge System in Economics”, hosted by Professor Yan Hongzhong, Deputy Dean of the School of Economics of SUFE. Professor Gu Hailiang, Professor Sheng Bin, Vice President of Nankai University, Professor Liu Shouying from the School of Economics, Renmin University of China, Researcher Wu Li from the Institute of Contemporary China Studies, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Professor Zou Jinwen from the School of Economics, Zhongnan University of Economics and Law, Professor Miao Jianjun, Dean of the School of Economics, Zhejiang University, and Professor Cai Jiming from the School of Social Sciences, Tsinghua University, delivered presentations respectively on the topics: “Breaking New Ground for the Independent Knowledge System of Philosophy and Social Sciences with Chinese Characteristics — A Study of Xi Jinping’s Speech at the Symposium on Philosophy and Social Sciences”, “Building an Independent Knowledge System for Chinese Open Economics”, “China’s Modernization and the Knowledge System of Modernization”, “The Significance of Research on the History of Productive Forces for Constructing China’s Independent Knowledge System in Economics”, “Constructing an Independent Knowledge System in Economics: An Investigation Based on the History of Chinese Economic Thought”, “Reflections on Building an Independent Knowledge System for Chinese Macroeconomics”, and “How New-Quality Productivity Raises Total Factor Productivity — Also on Constructing a System of Political Economy Based on the Productive Force Paradigm”.
The second panel centered on “International Communication and Translation of China’s Independent Knowledge System”, chaired by Professor Guo Hongjie, Deputy Dean of the School of Foreign Languages of SUFE. Mr. Huang Youyi, Former Deputy Director-General of China International Communications Group, Ambassador Xu Yanan, Ms. Huang Changqi, expert reviewer for the English edition of The Governance of China, Professor Hu Kaibao, Dean of the Institute of Language Sciences, Shanghai International Studies University, and Professor Wu Yun, Dean of the School of Foreign Languages, Tongji University, gave reports on “Delivering High-Quality Foreign Translation of Economic Current-Affairs Texts to Meet Overseas Audiences’ Demand for Information about China”, “Cross-Cultural Interpretation and Strategic Responses to Sensitivities in Diplomatic Translation”, “Strategies for Translating and Disseminating Political and Economic Discourse with Chinese Characteristics”, “External Communication of Chinese-Specific Discourse in the AI Era: Challenges and Countermeasures”, and “Research on the Translation and Reception of Xi Jinping’s Cultural Thought: Interlingual Communication and Discourse Identity”.
The third panel explored “Practical Exploration of China’s Independent Knowledge System in Economics”, hosted by Shen Min, Senior Editor of Academic Monthly. Professor Liu Yaobin, Party Secretary of Jiangxi University of Finance and Economics, Professor Tao Yitao, Former Deputy Party Secretary of Shenzhen University, Professor Shen Kunrong, Director of the Institute for Economic Growth, Nanjing University, Professor Zhang Hui, Dean of the School of Economics, Peking University, Professor Lu Ming, Executive Director of the China Institute for Development, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, and Professor Zhou Wen, Director of the Institute for the Sinicization of Marxist Economics, Fudan University, delivered speeches on “Accelerating the Construction of Contemporary Chinese Statecraft Economics and Building a Pillar of the New Liberal Arts”, “Special Economic Zones and the CPC’s Wisdom in Reform — Features and Performance of Gradual Reform with Chinese Characteristics”, “Constructing China’s Independent Knowledge System in Economics: Extracting Chinese Propositions from Chinese Experience”, “Traditional Chinese Economic Thought: The Historical Foundation and Intellectual Resources for Building an Independent Economic Knowledge System”, “China’s Economy from the Perspective of Spatial Political Economy”, and “Western Narratives of Modernization and Enlightenment from Chinese-Style Modernization — A Re-examination from the Economics of State-Building”.
At the closing ceremony, Professor Cheng Lin summarized the conference outcomes. He noted two prominent features of the seminar: first, interdisciplinary pluralistic dialogue, with clashing perspectives from different subfields within economics and foreign language studies; the insightful presentations collectively advanced in-depth reflection on the independent knowledge system. Second, the forum addressed both the construction and international communication of the independent knowledge system, aiming to secure broader recognition for Chinese theories across the global community. He emphasized that the construction of an independent knowledge system must be grounded in original theories and distinctive conceptual markers. The development of Chinese economics is not merely a contemporary undertaking, but a century-long historical exploration. It must remain rooted in Chinese practice, foster original theories and facilitate international dissemination. He looked forward to more exchanges and collaboration with fellow scholars in this field.
Source | China Institute for the Development of Economic Thought, Shanghai University of Finance and Economics
