The 33rd Annual Conference of the Chinese Society of Political Economy Successfully Held
On May 13–14, 2023, the 33rd Annual Academic Conference of the China Association of Political Economy (CAPE) was successfully held at the beautiful Longzihu Campus of Henan University in Zhengzhou. This academic symposium brought together numerous leading masters, renowned scholars, and young students from the national Marxist economics community. Centered on the general theme, “Chinese-path Modernization and Theoretical Innovation in Political Economy,” participants engaged in plenary keynote reports, sub-topic presentations, and open floor discussions, conducting extensive face-to-face exchanges and heated debates. This large-scale national academic conference demonstrated the new spirit of Chinese Marxist economists in their conscious commitment to serving the central work of the Party and the state, as well as their vigorous, pioneering efforts to explore and answer the “questions of China, the world, the people, and the times.” [1]
I. In-depth discussion of the theoretical and practical issues of Chinese-path modernization to facilitate the construction of a great modern socialist country. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out in the report to the 20th CPC National Congress that we must “advance the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation on all fronts through a Chinese path to modernization” and “build China into a great modern socialist country that leads the world in terms of composite national strength and international influence by the middle of this century.” To this end, the theme of this annual conference was set as “Chinese-path Modernization and Theoretical Innovation in Political Economy,” which also served as the theme for the first stage of presentations in the main forum. The conference established eight sub-forums, among which the theme of the first sub-forum was “Research on the Theory and Practice of Chinese-path Modernization.” Under this theme, three major sub-topics were organized: “Political Economy Research on Chinese-path Modernization,” “Comparative Research on Capitalist Modernization and Socialist Modernization,” and “The Communist Party of China and Chinese-path Modernization.”
II. Extensive exchange on the theoretical frontiers and academic dynamics of political economy to promote the disciplinary development of Marxist political economy. Political economy is both a major sub-discipline within the primary discipline of theoretical economics and one of the three constituent parts of Marxist theory. [2] Engels believed that the “entire theory” of the proletarian party “comes from the study of political economy.” Lenin regarded political economy as the “profoundest, most complete and most detailed proof and application” of Marxist theory. Comrade Mao Zedong repeatedly took the lead in studying Capital and the Soviet Textbook of Political Economy, emphasizing that the Party’s leading cadres must master political economy. General Secretary Xi Jinping has further stressed repeatedly that we must “study and use political economy well,” leading collective study sessions on Marxist political economy. He pointed out: “Marxist political economy is an important component of Marxism and a compulsory course for us to persist in and develop Marxism”; and “There are all kinds of economic theories, but the foundation of our political economy can only be Marxist political economy, and not any other economic theory.” Accordingly, to promote the disciplinary development of political economy, the themes of all eight sub-forums were related to this objective.
For example, the theme of Sub-forum IV was “Research on the Basic Theory of Marxist Political Economy,” with sub-topics including “Research on the Methodology of Marxist Economics,” “Research on the Theory of Labor Value and Surplus Value under the Conditions of the Digital Economy,” as well as “Schools of American Marxist Economics,” “Marx’s Thoughts on Ecological Consumption,” and “The Productivity of Service Labor.”
Sub-forum III focused on “Research on the Political Economy of Socialism with Chinese Characteristics,” with sub-topics such as “Research on the Methodology of the Political Economy of Socialism with Chinese Characteristics,” “Research on the Nature of Capital under the Conditions of a Socialist Market Economy,” and “Research on the Application of Marxist Economics in China.”
Sub-forum II focused on “Research on Xi Jinping Economic Thought,” with sub-topics including “Research on Common Prosperity,” “Research on the Development of State Capital and State-owned Enterprises,” “Research on Rural Revitalization,” “Research on Constructing a High-Level Socialist Market Economy System,” and “Research on High-quality Development.”
Furthermore, to strengthen the study of contemporary capitalism, a sub-forum themed “New Developments in Contemporary Capitalism and Theoretical Innovation in Marxist Economics” was established. To promote the modernization of analytical tools in political economy, the seventh sub-forum was titled “Mathematical Analysis in Political Economy.” To advance comparative research between Marxist economics and Western economics, the first stage of the closing ceremony was explicitly dedicated to “Comparative Research between Marxist Economics and Western Economics.”
III. To promote the development of applied economics based on Marxist economic theory, Sub-forum V was specifically established under the title “Research on Applied Economics with Marxist Economics as the Theoretical Foundation.” This included sub-topics such as “Research on Marxist International Economics,” “Research on Marxist Finance,” as well as Marxist industrial economics, technical economics, and consumption economics.
IV. To promote the development of different schools of Marxist economics, Sub-forum VIII was established under the title “Theory and Policy Innovation of Hai-style Economics,” [3] aiming to facilitate innovative development and policy applications of Marxist economics.
V. To promote the spirit of upholding the fundamentals and breaking new ground in academic conduct and conference style, the presentations in both the main and sub-forums were focused on specific, subdivided themes. The symposium established eight major themes and nineteen sub-topics. The agenda was organized by selecting speakers based on these themes, and speakers concentrated their remarks accordingly. Regarding the schedule, sufficient time was reserved in each sub-section for free discussion, questioning, and exchange among participating scholars. Positive interactions occurred not only between speakers and the audience but also among speakers addressing similar themes, achieving excellent results in academic exchange. Furthermore, the conference agenda listed speakers only by their institutional affiliation, omitting administrative titles and professional ranks; selection was based solely on the conference themes and the quality of submitted papers. Consequently, several young scholars and researchers from non-prestigious institutions presented at the main forum.
VI. To advance academic research and platform construction for Marxist economics, a “Symposium on Academic Writing and Journal Construction” was specially held. Editors-in-chief, editorial directors, and academic editors from sixteen domestic and international academic journals—including Studies on Political Economy, World Review of Political Economy, Contemporary Economic Research, Economic Review, Economist, Shanghai Journal of Economics, Hai-style Economics, Journal of Hebei University of Economics and Business, Journal of Management, Political Economy Quarterly, Social Sciences in China, International Critical Thought (Marxism Studies), Shandong Social Sciences, Fujian Tribune, Social Science Front, and the People’s Daily’s State Governance—engaged in full discussions and exchanges with the participants. This was warmly received by the scholars, particularly the younger generation.
Additionally, the conference featured the book launch of Innovation and Development of Marxist Political Economy (Volume I).
It is reported that this 33rd Annual Academic Conference was hosted by the China Association of Political Economy (CAPE) and Henan University; organized by the School of Economics and the School of Marxism at Henan University and the Center for Marxist Economic and Social Development at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS); and co-organized by the Central China Development Institute of Henan University and the editorial departments of Studies on Political Economy, World Review of Political Economy, and Hai-style Economics.
According to statistics, over 260 researchers, university teachers, academic editors, and doctoral and master's students from more than 100 research institutions, higher education institutions, and periodicals nationwide participated. These institutions included the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Peking University, Tsinghua University, Renmin University of China, Nankai University, Fudan University, Wuhan University, Xiamen University, Sichuan University, Zhejiang University, Jilin University, Shandong University, Nanjing University, Lanzhou University, Sun Yat-sen University, Henan University, Zhengzhou University, Fuzhou University, Southwest University, Liaoning University, Anhui University, Guangxi University, Central University of Finance and Economics, Shanghai University of Finance and Economics, Zhongnan University of Economics and Law, Southwestern University of Finance and Economics, Jilin University of Finance and Economics, Jiangxi University of Finance and Economics, Nanjing University of Finance and Economics, Shandong University of Finance and Economics, Lanzhou University of Finance and Economics, Henan University of Economics and Law, Inner Mongolia University of Finance and Economics, Anhui University of Finance and Economics, Guizhou University of Finance and Economics, University of International Business and Economics, Capital University of Economics and Business, Shanghai University of International Business and Economics, Hebei University of Economics and Business, Shanghai Lixin University of Accounting and Finance, Henan University of Animal Husbandry and Economy, Beijing Normal University, Central China Normal University, Northeast Normal University, Shaanxi Normal University, Capital Normal University, Tianjin Normal University, Fujian Normal University, Inner Mongolia Normal University, Sichuan Normal University, Henan Normal University, Anhui Normal University, Huaibei Normal University, Shangqiu Normal University, China University of Political Science and Law, Beijing Institute of Technology, Tongji University, Northwest University, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Shanghai University, Donghua University, University of Jinan, Qingdao University, Yangzhou University, Xidian University, Wuhan Institute of Technology, Wuhan University of Science and Technology, Shanghai Maritime University, University of Shanghai for Science and Technology, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Henan University of Technology, Henan University of Light Industry, Zhengzhou University of Aeronautics, Zhengzhou University of Technology, Henan Institute of Engineering, Guilin University of Electronic Technology, Guangzhou Maritime University, Kunming University, Huanghe Science and Technology University, China Agricultural University, Henan Agricultural University, Shanghai International Studies University, Beijing International Studies University, Zhejiang International Studies University, Civil Aviation University of China, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, China University of Labor Relations (China Youth University of Political Studies), Beijing Central Institute of Socialism, Sanming University, Xinxiang University, Wenzhou University, the Central Party School, the Guangdong Provincial Party School, the Wushan County Party School of Chongqing, the Development Research Center of the State Council, the Jilin Academy of Social Sciences, the Liaoning Academy of Social Sciences, the Jiangxi Academy of Social Sciences, and the Fujian Academy of Social Sciences.
The China Association of Political Economy (CAPE) is a national first-level scholarly association specialized in political economy theory and academic exchange. It is supervised by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and formally registered with the Ministry of Civil Affairs of the People’s Republic of China. The secretariat of the association is permanently based at the Institute of Marxism Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. The official journal of the association is Studies on Political Economy. Since its inception, the association has successfully held thirty-three annual conferences, making significant contributions to the innovative development of Marxist political economy.
(Contributed by Chen Qiujie, Master’s Student at the School of Marxism, University of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences)