Seminar on Asia and Pacific economies held at XJTLU

A seminar on themes related to Asia and Pacific studies and the Chinese economy took place at Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University on 8 and 9 July 2016.

Professor Charles Van Marrewijk, director of research at International Business School Suzhou at XJTLU, welcomed participants to the event, which was organised by IBSS in collaboration with Asian Development Bank Institute (ADBI) and featured 15 presenters from universities and policy-making institutions around the world.

Universities represented included National University of Singapore, Singapore Management University, Deakin University, The University of Nottingham Ningbo China, the University of Liverpool and Queen’s University Belfast among others. Policy making institutions included the Asian Development Bank Institute, the Central Bank of Estonia and Japan’s Research Institute of Economy, Trade and Industry.

Across two days and multiple sessions, participants presented their research papers looking at various topics including foreign exchange markets and investment, structural transformation and political turnover, economic dynamics and economic performance, migration and economic growth and trade issues in East Asia.

They showed their results regarding economic integration in relation to trade, investment, foreign exchange in East Asian countries, while important issues in China were also highlighted, including challenges from internal migration, regional inequality and political influence on the performance of the private sector. Each paper was allocated to a discussant who provided detailed comments on strengths and weaknesses of the paper and ways for its author to improve it.

Sessions elicited animated discussion among participants who took advantage of the roundtable format to share insight and knowledge.

Zhengning Liu, from National University of Singapore and who presented a paper, was interested in attending the seminar not only because of the China’s economic growth but also as he was keen to visit XJTLU. He was impressed by his experiences at the University: “XJTLU is beyond my expectation and I’d like to visit again. I’ve found the event very helpful for my paper due to its unique roundtable discussion format. Everyone can read and discuss everyone’s paper, making this conference very useful for my research,” he said.

On Saturday 9 July, a special session hosted by Asian Development Bank Institute focused on financial inclusion, financial development and stability - key issues for domestic investment in the context of developing countries. Nimesh Salike from IBSS chaired the session and highlighted the significance of the papers on policy implications for, in particular, central banks.

Peter Morgan, from ADBI, said: “This event is a good forum for us to increase our contacts and network, particularly to identify emerging talent among young scholars in the region.”

Paulo Regis, one of the co-organisers of the seminar and director of the Research Institute for Economic Integration at XJTLU, said: “XJTLU and IBSS ambition to be a research-led institution requires the promotion of research opportunities and dissemination of our work. This event is an excellent opportunity to attract partners and generate opportunities to interact and learn from top researchers in other institutions. Moreover, it provides a platform of international visibility for XJTLU and IBSS.”

The event, the fourth in this series of seminars that began in 2013, is part of the efforts of the Research Institute for Economic Integration to promote research in international economics, with special attention on the Asia and pacific region and the Chinese economy, as well as build a network of researchers in the region.

The institute examines subjects such as trade, investment, business strategies, international cooperation, corporate and public governance, exchange rates, financial inclusion, economic and social sustainability, economic growth, industrial agglomeration, and environmental protection.

“China plays a key role in the Asia Pacific region’s economic integration. Understanding and capturing the linkages and interactions among provinces, cities or counties within the Chinese economy is key to understanding the processes of integration,” added Yang Chen, deputy-director of the institute.

The Asian Development Bank Institute, based in Tokyo, is a think tank focused on identifying effective development strategies for Asia and the Pacific, and on providing support to Asian Development Bank member countries in managing development challenges.