The 34th Annual Conference of the Chinese Society of Political Economy and the 2nd Rural Vitalization Forum Successfully Held at Zhongnan University of Economics and Law
From April 20 to 21, 2024, the 34th Annual Academic Conference of the China Society of Political Economy and the 2nd Rural Revitalization Forum, themed "Theory and Policy of High-Quality Economic Development," were successfully held and concluded at the Wenquan Building of Zhongnan University of Economics and Law (ZUEL). This annual conference was co-hosted by the China Society of Political Economy and ZUEL, and organized by the ZUEL School of Economics, the Institute of Marxist Economy and Social Development of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS), and the Academy of Hai-style Economics [1] of the Shanghai University of Finance and Economics. It was co-organized by the editorial offices of Chinese and English journals including Studies on Political Economy, Contemporary Economic Research, Hai-style Economics, Political Economy Quarterly, Journal of Hebei University of Economics and Business, and the World Review of Political Economy. The two-day conference featured an opening ceremony, keynote reports, thematic speeches, exchange presentations across eight sub-forums, a seminar on academic paper writing and journal development, and an academic salon hosted by the Center for Marxist Political Economy Research of the Institute of 21st Century Marxism (a joint venture of Nankai University and the University of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences). The event brought together over 320 experts, scholars, journal editors, and graduate students in the field of political economy from more than 70 universities, research institutes, and publishing houses across the country. Participants shared their latest research findings and practical experiences to jointly explore new paths for China’s high-quality development.
At 8:30 AM on April 20, the conference grandly opened in the Academic Lecture Hall of the Wenquan Building. The opening ceremony was presided over by Professor Shi Zhilei, Dean of the ZUEL School of Economics. Distinguished guests included Professor Cheng Enfu, Honorary President of the China Society of Political Economy and Member of the CASS Academic Division [2]; Professor Zou Jinwen, Vice President of ZUEL; Researcher Hou Weimin, President of the China Society of Political Economy and Director of the CASS Institute of Marxist Economy and Social Development; Professor Jian Xinhua of Wuhan University, former Vice President of the Society; Professor Zheng Zhiguo of the Party School of the Guangdong Provincial Committee; Professor Wang Zhaoke of the Shanghai University of International Business and Economics, Vice President of the Society; and Professor Ip Kuai Peng, Vice Rector of the City University of Macau.
In his welcoming remarks, Professor Zou Jinwen opened the conference by introducing ZUEL’s noble revolutionary sentiments and "red gene" [3] since its founding. He noted that the discipline of political economy is one of the university’s oldest, and that the China Society of Political Economy has successfully held 33 annual conferences—a rare feat among national societies—demonstrating its long history and heritage. He expressed his wishes for the success of the conference and hoped it would serve as a platform to jointly promote the development and innovation of political economy.
Researcher Hou Weimin delivered the opening address. He provided a profound interpretation of high-quality development through four dimensions: the dialectical unity of "quality" and "quantity"; the unity of rapidly developing productive forces and further improving the relations of production; the unity of the macro, meso, and micro levels; and the unity of economic development and economic security. He expressed hope that the exchanges would produce outstanding academic results and push research into the theories and strategies of Chinese political economy to a new level.
Following the opening ceremony, the conference moved to the keynote report session, chaired by Professor Zhang Xinning of Fudan University. Professor Cheng Enfu delivered a report titled "Several Theoretical and Policy Issues Concerning High-Quality Development." He discussed high-quality development from the perspectives of history, theory, policy, and indicators, providing theoretical frameworks and practical policy suggestions for China’s path forward, while setting a scholarly tone for the subsequent exchanges.
Professor Jian Xinhua of Wuhan University delivered a report titled "Has the Chinese Economy Fallen into Long-term Recession?" He refuted external misjudgments of China’s economic situation by analyzing the stage-specific characteristics and growth potential of the nation's development, favorable conditions and factors, responses to economic difficulties, and the current reality of economic development, thereby "singing the bright theory of China's economy" [4].
After a group photo, the first stage of thematic speeches on "Theory and Policy of China’s High-Quality Development" began, moderated by Professor Ding Xiaoqin of the Shanghai University of Finance and Economics. Professor Zheng Zhiguo analyzed "bottlenecks" in China's high-quality development and proposed countermeasures; Professor Ip Kuai Peng explored Macau’s strategic positioning in the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area; Researcher Wang Zhongbao of CASS analyzed the definition of high-quality development from a political economy perspective, arguing that the most crucial aspect is the high-quality development of the production and reproduction of labor power; Professor Wang Zhaoke used holographic systems theory and a technological diffusion perspective to clarify the process by which new quality productive forces are transformed from individual productive forces into social average productive forces; and Associate Professor Chen Libing of ZUEL focused on relatively underdeveloped interprovincial regions, using Zigui County as a typical case to analyze the development ideas for new quality productive forces in such areas.
The second stage of thematic speeches focused on the relationship between new quality productive forces and high-quality development, moderated by Professor Dai Shuangxing of Fujian Normal University. Professor Li Zhengtu of the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences subdivided productive force theory into five categories, emphasizing the importance of correctly grasping new quality productive forces in both broad and narrow senses; Professor Wu Shanlin of the Shanghai University of Finance and Economics argued that accelerating the development of new quality productive forces requires handling five major relationships, including those between new quality productive forces and "normal" productive forces, and between new quality productive forces and new-type relations of production; Professor Li Zheng of Liaoning University clarified the theoretical and practical logic of developing new quality productive forces; Professor Liu Gang of Qufu Normal University explained the evolutionary laws of production paradigms from lower to higher levels through the lens of endogenous productive force theory; and Professor Lyu Jingchun of Tianjin Normal University interpreted the connotation of new quality productive forces from an ecological dimension, providing a new "green" perspective for academic research.
At 2:00 PM on April 20, eight sub-forums were held simultaneously. Over 130 representatives presented papers and exchanged academic results on eight major themes: "Research and Interpretation of Xi Jinping’s Important Discourses on High-Quality Economic Development," "Marxist Economic Growth Theory and the Connotation of High-Quality Economic Development," "Research on the Relationship Between New Quality Productive Forces and High-Quality Economic Development," "Research on the Relationship Between High-Quality Development, High-Level Opening Up, and National Economic Security," "Research on the Policies and Practices of China’s High-Quality Economic Development," "Mathematical Political Economy Analysis of High-Quality Economic Development," "Hai-style Economics on Theoretical and Policy Aspects of High-Quality Economic Development," and "Research on the Theory and Application of Marxist Political Economy."
At 8:00 PM, the seminar on academic paper writing and journal development and the Marxist center's academic salon were held. Representatives from journals such as Studies on Political Economy introduced their positioning and review processes, aiming to improve the quality of journals and promote the growth of scholars. The academic salon, hosted by Professor Cheng Enfu, emphasized making the "New Marxist School" [5] a major international school of thought. Discussions centered on hot topics and theoretical frontiers, striving for theoretical and practical innovation in Marxist economics.
On the morning of April 21, the conference continued with three stages of speeches, sub-forum reports, and the closing ceremony. The first stage, chaired by Professor Zhang Hongwu of ZUEL, focused on new quality productive forces. Professor Mao Peihua of the Shanghai University of Finance and Economics outlined the essential nature of new quality productive forces from perspectives of technology, material production, and ultimate goals; Professor Zhou Shaodong of Wuhan University used the example of "lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets" [6] to illustrate that "new quality productive forces should be grounded in reality"; Professor Wei Feng of Heilongjiang University noted that as the technological gap between late-developing and early-developing countries narrows, new quality productive forces are needed to avoid the "profit-seeking effect"; Professor Zhou Xiaoliang of Fuzhou University and Professor Cui Xiangyang of Nanjing University of Finance and Economics clarified the connotations of "digital" new quality productive forces.
The second stage, chaired by Professor Liu Zhen of Tsinghua University, focused on high-quality development. Professor Li Xiaoping of ZUEL clarified the mechanism by which the digital economy wave empowers common prosperity; Professor Zhao Jinhui of the Central Party School explored economic structural transformation through the lens of contradictions; Associate Professor Qi Hao of Renmin University of China provided a new perspective via the concept of "service-oriented manufacturing"; Associate Professor Tian Wangjie of Lanzhou University of Finance and Economics traced the "embryo" of new quality productive forces in Marx’s theory; and Professor Wang Feng of ZUEL discussed facilitating high-quality development in Hubei’s county-level economies.
The third stage, moderated by Professor Duan Xuehui of Yan’an University, focused on the theory and application of political economy. Professor Song Xianping of the Beijing Institute of Technology proposed "guiding" Chinese manufacturing toward high-end segments of global value chains; Professor Pan Dan of Zhejiang University of Finance and Economics argued regarding the exploitation of digital labor by digital capital in the gig economy; Professor Liu Changming of Shandong University of Technology analyzed the convergence of Guan Zhong’s [7] economics and Marxist political economy based on the principle of "governing for the people" (jingshi jijin); Professor Wang Jinzhao of Wuhan University reflected on the power of capital and offered suggestions for guiding its healthy development; and Professor Wang Feng of Southwest University emphasized that wealth accumulation mechanisms are inherent to high-quality development.
Subsequently, Associate Professor Zhang Yang of the China University of Political Science and Law presided over the sub-forum reporting phase. Eight scholars recounted the intellectual highlights of the previous day’s discussions, fully reflecting the open, inclusive, and innovative spirit of the political economy academic community.
The closing ceremony was chaired by Professor Zhu Qiaoling of ZUEL. Researcher Wang Zhongbao, Vice President and Secretary-General of the Society, announced successful grant applications and delivered the concluding remarks on behalf of Professor Duan Xuehui. He noted that this was the largest and best-organized conference in the Society’s history, expressing particular gratitude to the leadership of ZUEL and the faculty and student volunteers. Finally, Professor Liu Zhen of Tsinghua University issued an invitation on behalf of the hosts for the 35th Annual Conference next year, welcoming all scholars to gather again.
With this, the two-day 34th Annual Academic Conference of the China Association of Political Economy and the 2nd Rural Revitalization Forum concluded successfully. This year’s annual conference reached the largest scale in its history, with more than 320 experts, scholars, and graduate students from all corners of the country [8] gathering at the meeting site. They centered their discussions on several topics, including the theory and application of Marxist political economy, the theory and policy of economic high-quality development, new quality productive forces and high-quality development, high-quality development and rural revitilization, mathematical analysis in political economy, and the theoretical and policy innovations of the Shanghai School of Economics [9]. The participants delivered brilliant presentations and engaged in heated exchanges characterized by high academic rigor, dialectical thinking, and innovation. This conference achieved innovative breakthroughs in refining organizational forms, broadening seminar models, and promoting disciplinary integration. It built a high-quality academic exchange platform for experts, scholars, young faculty, and students committed to researching the theory and application of Marxist political economy. Through these exchanges, discussions, and the clashing of perspectives, participating scholars inspired wisdom and enhanced friendships, working together to promote Marxist political economy in achieving Sinicization, staying at the forefront of the field, winning new developments, and serving the New Era.
[School of Economics] The School of Economics at Zhongnan University of Economics and Law (ZUEL) possesses a profound historical heritage. Its origins can be traced back to the College of Finance and Economics, one of the four major colleges established by the Central Plains University (the predecessor of ZUEL). In 2000, it was renamed to its current title following the merger of the Institute of Economics, the Department of Economics, and the Department of National Economic Management of the former Zhongnan University of Economics. The School of Economics was the first college among similar disciplines in domestic universities to establish the discipline of political economy (1949) after the founding of the People’s Republic, and it was also the first college in the Central-South region to obtain a first-level discipline authorization for Theoretical Economics (2000). The school possesses a strong faculty; as of October 2023, it has 109 staff members and 89 full-time teachers, including 32 professors (including 23 doctoral supervisors) and 30 associate professors. The college has 12 national-level talents, including National Leading Talents in Philosophy and Social Sciences, Ministry of Education Young Scholars, and experts receiving State Council Government Special Allowances. It also has 10 provincial and ministerial-level talents, such as experts receiving Hubei Provincial Government Special Allowances and Hubei Provincial Young and Middle-aged Experts with Outstanding Contributions. The teaching and research teams have been recognized as one Hubei Provincial Excellent Teaching Team and one Hubei Provincial Excellent Grassroots Organization, and the Theoretical Economics faculty team was awarded the honorary title of "National University Huang Danian-style Teacher Team" [10].
[China Association of Political Economy] The China Association of Political Economy (CAPE) is a national first-level academic society supervised by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) and formally registered with the Ministry of Civil Affairs of the People's Republic of China. It is dedicated to the theoretical research and academic exchange of political economy. CAPE is a key contact academic organization for the National Office for Philosophy and Social Sciences and is a philosophy and social science society receiving key funding from the National Social Science Fund of China. Its predecessor was the Chinese Society for the Systematic Study of Socialist Economic Laws (abbreviated as the China Economic Law Research Association), which was formally established in November 1983. On December 9, 2018, with the approval of the Ministry of Civil Affairs of the People's Republic of China (Minhan [2025] No. 182), the society was officially renamed the China Association of Political Economy. The secretariat of CAPE is permanently housed within the Institute of Marxism Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. The current president is Researcher Hou Weimin, Director of the CASS Research Center for Marxist Economic and Social Development. Professor Cheng Enfu, a member of the CASS Academic Divisions, is the former president and current honorary president of the association. The official journal of the association is Political Economy Quarterly. Since its inception, the association has successfully held 34 annual academic conferences, making significant contributions to promoting the innovative development of Marxist political economy.