The 31st Annual Academic Conference of the China Society of Political Economy Held in Changchun

On October 16, 2021, the 31st Academic Annual Conference of the Chinese Society of Political Economy and the 24th Seminar of the Chinese Haipai Economy Forum were held in Changchun. The theme of the conference was "The Communist Party of China’s Century of Economic Theoretical Innovation and the Historical Journey of Socialist Modernization."

The conference was hosted by the Chinese Society of Political Economy, the Center for China's State-owned Economy of Jilin University, and the Academy of Haipai Economics of Shanghai University of Finance and Economics. It was organized by the Center for China's State-owned Economy of Jilin University, the Center for Research on Socialist Political Economy with Chinese Characteristics of Jilin University, and the Center for Research on the Theoretical System of Socialism with Chinese Characteristics of Jilin University. Co-organizers included the Research Center for Economic and Social Development of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS), the Department of Principles of the Institute of Marxism Studies of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, the School of Economics of Jilin University, and the Jilin Provincial Association for the Study of Das Kapital. Over 160 experts and scholars from dozens of research institutions and universities—including the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Peking University, Renmin University of China, Beijing Normal University, Jilin University, Nankai University, Sichuan University, Xiamen University, and the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences—along with faculty and student representatives from Jilin University, attended this academic meeting.

The opening ceremony was presided over by Professor Li Zheng, Director of the Center for China's State-owned Economy of Jilin University. Speeches were delivered by Professor Wang Lifeng, Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee and Vice President of Jilin University; Researcher Wang Ying, full-time Vice Chairperson of the Jilin Provincial Federation of Social Sciences and President of the Jilin Academy of Social Sciences; and Professor Cheng Enfu, President of the Chinese Society of Political Economy, Academician of CASS, and member of the Presidium of the Academic Divisions of CASS.

Professor Wang Lifeng, Vice President of Jilin University, briefly introduced the history of Jilin University's operations and its successful experience and outstanding achievements in the construction of the theoretical economics discipline. He stated that this year marks the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the 75th anniversary of Jilin University. This forum focuses on "The Communist Party of China’s Century of Economic Theoretical Innovation and the Historical Journey of Socialist Modernization," which is of great significance for summarizing the historical experience of the CPC leading the people of the whole country in building socialism, promoting the innovation of socialist economic theory with Chinese characteristics, and continuously exploring objective economic laws under the new journey of socialist modernization. He expressed his hope that experts and scholars from across the country would engage in broader and deeper cooperation with Jilin University to promote the development of the theoretical system of socialism with Chinese characteristics and help Jilin University’s theoretical economics discipline reach a new level.

Researcher Wang Ying, full-time Vice Chairperson of the Jilin Provincial Federation of Social Sciences and President of the Jilin Academy of Social Sciences, stated in her speech that in the face of the accelerated evolution of the changes unseen in a century ^[1], the new journey toward the Second Centenary Goal ^[2], and the new stage, new philosophy, and new pattern ^[3], the philosophy and social sciences have also reached a new historical starting point. Marxist political economy must, and inevitably will, sound the "prologue of thought." This forum revolves around the summary of successful experiences of the CPC leading the Chinese people in socialist construction, the extraction of regularities from China's economic development practice, the exploration of the path of socialist modernization and its theoretical development, and the pulse of state-owned economic development—all of which focus on the questions of the era, the questions of practice, and the questions of theory. Most participants in the forum are renowned masters in the field of Marxist political economy. She expected that through this joint academic feast, they would research and answer the questions posed by the era and practice, making active contributions to opening up new realms for contemporary Chinese Marxist political economy.

President Cheng Enfu pointed out that this year marks the 100th anniversary of the founding of the CPC. Summarizing China's experience in socialist economic construction and elevating it into socialist economic theory with Chinese characteristics is of vital importance for guiding China's economic development in the New Era and constructing international discourse power for Chinese theory. He specifically noted that China must carry out theoretical pioneering and guide practice in achieving common prosperity, establishing the concepts of "common prosperity, shared benefits, and collective well-being" to highlight the institutional advantages of socialism with Chinese characteristics. At the same time, to achieve common prosperity, theoretical development must be combined with the adjustment and refinement of policies. While affirming market competition, he emphasized labor emulation; while state-owned enterprises develop, they must reflect the characteristics of ownership by the whole people through national dividends. Fiscal and taxation fields, such as property and inheritance taxes, should also be adjusted according to the principle of common prosperity, with preferential policies leaning more toward ordinary laborers. Furthermore, President Cheng put forward new visions and expectations for the development of "New Marxian" political economy ^[4], encouraging young scholars to delve deep into theoretical research, dare to tackle difficult problems, absorb the research strengths of other schools, continuously break through in problem awareness and research methods, and produce even richer research results.

Participating scholars unanimously expressed that on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the CPC and amidst the current surge of the "Four Histories" education ^[5], the economic theoretical circles must carry out theoretical research in close connection with the history of the Party, the history of New China, the history of reform and opening up, and the history of socialist development. Research and innovation in economic theory must be based on China, rooted in China, and possess theoretical courage; research and teaching work must "stay grounded" (jiědìqì) ^[6], gather popular support, and promote integrity. It is necessary to earnestly study, profoundly understand, and truly implement the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping’s series of important speeches on learning and making good use of Marxist political economy. One must effectively adhere to the major principles of socialist political economy with Chinese characteristics, ensuring that political economy research and teaching serve the new journey of socialist modernization and contribute wisdom and strength to promoting substantive progress in socialist common prosperity.

It is reported that during the two-day conference, participating experts and scholars will conduct in-depth discussions on topics including: the CPC’s century of exploration regarding China's path to economic modernization and its summary of historical experience; research on the CPC’s adherence to and development of Marxist economic theory over the past hundred years; research on Xi Jinping’s important expositions on comprehensively building a modern socialist country; research on the connotation, characteristics, and significance of China's path to economic modernization; comparative studies between Chinese and foreign modernization models and paths; research on making state-owned enterprises and state-owned capital stronger, better, and larger; research on "new imperialism," U.S. containment of the Chinese economy, and China's countermeasures; and research on Chinese and foreign Marxist political economy and the current domestic and international economic situation.