SIES Co-held the International Conference on Improving Economic and Social Policies and Promoting Inclusive and High-quality Development

On June 7th and 8th, 2023, Shanghai Institute for European Studies (SIES), Shanghai Center for International Economic Exchanges and Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung Shanghai Representative Office (FES Shanghai) jointly held the international conference on Improving Economic and Social Policies and Promoting Inclusive and High-quality Development in Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences.

Mr. Wang Zhan, President of Shanghai Center for International Economic Exchanges (IEE) and Chairman of the Shanghai Federation of Social Sciences (SFSS), and Mr. René Bormann, Chief Representative of FES Shanghai made the opening addresses. Prof. Xu Mingqi, Honorary Chairman of SIES and Vice President of Shanghai Center for IEE made the concluding remarks. Chairman Wang Zhan pointed out that with a good foundation for development, China's central and western regions and coastal areas developed harmonically, rural revitalization and high-tech industry growing in multiple directions. Looking forward to the 20th Third National Congress and its major measures, sustainable development prospects bright. Honorary Chairman Xu Mingqi and Chief Representative René Bormann both said that there are some differences in economic and social conditions between China and Germany, however the overall goals of the two countries are more consistent, which is to strengthen supply-side structural reform, expand domestic demand, improve the labor market, protect vulnerable groups, and promote high-quality development.

 Researcher Xu Mingqi, Honorary Chairman of SIES ,Dr.Joachim Rock,Director of the Social and European Policy Department of the General Association, Federation of German Social Groups, Researcher Zuo Xuejin, former Executive Vice President of Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences (SASS), Mr. Markus Hoffmann, Director, Social Policy Department, Federal Executive Council, German Trade Union Federation, and Researcher Du Yang, Deputy Director of the Institute of Population and Labor Economics, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) delivered keynote speeches on topics such as optimizing economic policies, promoting the development of the consumer market, optimizing economic and social policies, promoting sustainable economic development, transforming the role and application of social security policies, changing consumption expectations, stabilizing the labor market, and promoting employment and economic growth.

Professor Achim Truger, Member of the Economic Assessment Advisory Committee of the German Federal Government, and University of Duisburg Essen, Professor Yang Fengmin, Professor of School of Business and Director of the Institute of European Studies, East China University of Science and Technology (ECUST), Associate Researcher Jian Junbo, Deputy Director of the Center for China-Eu Relations, School of International Studies, Fudan University (FDU), Professor Alexander Herzog-Stein, head of the “Labor market economics” department in the Macroeconomic Policy Institute (IMK) in German, and Professor Bernd Reissert, who studies Labour markets and social policy at the Berlin School of Economics and Law commented on the presentations.

Dr. Yang Haifeng, Secretary-General of SIES, Professor Shang Yuhong, Director of the Center for Central and Eastern European Studies at the Shanghai University of International Business and Economics (SUIBE), Researcher Yu Jianhua, Deputy Director of the Institute of International Studies at the SASS, and Ms. Corinne Abele, Chief Representative of the Shanghai Liaison Office of the German Federal Agency for Trade and Investment (GTI), chaired the two-day meeting respectively.

The two-day meeting was full of content and lively discussions. More than 30 people from relevant institutions of China and Germany attended the meeting.