Roundtable Conference Convened on “China’s Economic Reform in Light of the New Sci-tech Revolution”
June 3, the “China’s Economic Reform under the New Sci-tech Revolution” Roundtable Conference was held in Shanghai, in order to explore the direction and path of China’s economic reform in light of the new sci-tech revolution. The conference was co-hosted by the Shanghai Federation of Social Science Associations’ Exploration and Free Views Editorial Office, CITIC Press Group’s Comparative Studies Editorial Office , Tsinghua University’s Center for Industrial Development and Environmental Governance, , and Shanghai Wisdom Foundation. It was convened in the Lecture Hall of Shanghai Social Sciences Hall.
Reputable scholars from related fields across the country gathered at this roundtable conference for an in-depth discussion on global visions, historical changes, theoretical bottlenecks, practical problems, and possible policies, to provide theoretical suggestions for promoting high-quality development of China’s economy in the context of the new sci-tech revolution.
Wu Jinglian, an economist with the Development Research Center of the State Council, delivered a special address, pointing out that the roundtable had put forward a significant topic, requiring us to consider seriously how to further promote China’s reform and opening-up in the new circumstances and how to further achieve high-quality development of China’s economy under the momentum of the new sci-tech revolution. For example, we should not only focus on the new phenomena and solve new problems but also review the major fundamental issues that have recurred in different forms over the past four decades. We should adhere to the principle of “giving full play to the decisive role of the market in resource allocation”, which was put forward at the 3rd Plenary Session of the 18th CPC Central Committee and re-emphasized in the report of the 20th CPC National Congress and accelerate the construction of a socialist market economy based on the rule of law.
Jiang Xiaojuan, a member of the Standing Committee of the 13th National People’s Congress and Vice-Chairman of the Social Construction Committee of the NPC, delivered a keynote speech on the topic of “Digital Government Construction and Transformation of Governmental Functions: On-line, Off-field, and In-place”. She stressed that the advent of the digital era requires the digital government to empower social and economic development in all aspects: it should not only strengthen public services via digital means and promote the digitization of government services but provide market-oriented data, so as to better empower market when related departments are online but not in place.
Given that this epoch of digitization and intelligence is bringing new opportunities and challenges concernsing the boundaries between government, market, and society, we should analyze and think about them with new concepts and logic in line with the digital era. On the one hand, it is necessary to further transform government functions and improve the system of government duties to build a solid foundation for the construction of digital government; on the other hand, due to the restructuring of the industrial chain in the era of digitization and intelligence, the way of social organization has changed, more jobs disappear and the job market is regenerating faster, which require the government to pay due timely attention to the more vulnerable groups for the sake of fairness and justice.
Another twenty-plus experts and scholars expressed their insights on development models, industrial policy, and business environment in the context of the new sci-tech revolution, revolving around the technological revolution, technological innovation, and institutional innovation. Based on all these speeches and observations, the Editorial Office of Exploration and Free Views will publish a series of essays and submit special reports, with a view to building academic consensus to better serve social development.
