Academic Exchange and Cooperation Related to South-South Cooperation by Institute of World Economics and Politics (IWEP), CASS

By October 19, 2021 October 19, 2021 CASS Features News/ Events POM

Academic Exchange and Cooperation Related to South-South Cooperation of IWEP since 2019

The Institute of World Economics and Politics (IWEP) was founded in 1964 as one of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences Institutes devoted to the study of international economics and politics. IWEP is engaged in policy‐oriented and theoretical research, mainly covering global macro‐economy, international finance, international trade, international investment, industrial economics, international political theory, with a special reference to China’s economic practices and policies. Since the establishment of IWEP, the Institute has been closely involved in extensive international collaboration and exchange programs with leading international think‐tanks, universities, international organizations and relevant departments of foreign governments.

International Conferences

On April 29, 2019, the Institute of World Economics and Politics (IWEP) hosted the 9th Asian Research Forum: Cooperation in Northeast Asia under the New Circumstances. More than 40 experts and scholars from foreign countries including South Korea, the United States, Japan, Kazakhstan, Russia, and the United Kingdom, as well as from domestic institutions including the International Department of the Central Committee of CPC, Tsinghua University, the Party School of the Central Committee of CPC, the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS), Fudan University, Qingdao University, and Jilin University, participated in the Forum, discussing various issues under the new circumstances, such as the security, economic and trade cooperation in Northeast Asia, and how the Belt and Road Initiative could be linked to cooperation in Northeast Asia.

On May 20, 2019, IWEP hosted the CASS Forum 2019: “International Symposium on Economic and Trade Cooperation under ‘the Belt and Road Initiative’: Review and Prospects”. More than 20 experts and scholars from foreign countries including Russia, Serbia, Portugal, Romania, Thailand, Ukraine, Morocco, and Belarus, as well as from domestic institutions including the People’s Bank of China, the Development Research Center of the State Council, China Center for Contemporary World Studies, China Development Bank Research Institute, Peking University and CASS, participated in the Symposium with a focus on five topics related to the economic and trade cooperation under “the Belt and Road Initiative”.

On November 7, 2020, IWEP and the King Abdullah Petroleum Studies and Research Center (KAPSARC), the 2020 T20 leading think tank, co-hosted the bilateral video seminar on “T20 and Think Tank Cooperation: Beijing and Riyadh”, as a side event to the 15th G20 Leaders’ Summit.

The two sides had an in-depth exchange on various issues including climate change, circular carbon economy, global governance and further cooperation in the future, etc.

On October 14, 2020, IWEP hosted the 10th Asian Research Forum “RCEP and the World Trading System: Opportunities and Prospects”.

More than 20 experts and scholars from foreign countries including South Korea, Indonesia, Australia, Singapore, Vietnam as well as from domestic institutions including CASS were invited to discuss various issues such as the reform and future progress of RCEP and regional cooperation, and the challenges and prospects facing the RCEP and the world trading system.

International Collaborative Research Projects

  1. IWEP and Saint Petersburg State University, Russia has been conducting the joint research project China-Russia Trade Policy in the Context of Changes in the International Trading System, which started in October 2018 and is expected to be concluded in October 2023. The project leader is Research Fellow Yao Zhizhong. The research objectives of the project are to determine the trend of changes in the global trading system, assess the impact of changes in the external environment on China and Russia, study the status and characteristics of the participation of both China and Russia in the international trading system, and analyze the role of China and Russia in promoting the reform of multilateral trading systems and the process of deepening regional trade agreements. It also aims to propose future directions for the development of foreign trade between China and Russia, as well as policy recommendations on further and deeper cooperation in bilateral trade and economic relations between China and Russia. On December 10, 2019, a meeting on “China-Russia Trade Policy in the Context of Changes in the International Trading System” was held to summarize the research results of the first phase of the project. In addition, several subject discussions were held and both sides actively participated in the academic activities of each other’s collaborative teams.
  2. Joint research project with the Observer Research Foundation in Kolkata, India, Comparative Study on the Energy Transition in China and India: Status, Challenges and Countermeasures. The project started in June 2018 and was led by Research Fellow Wang Yongzhong. China and India are two major global energy consumers that depend heavily on oil and gas imports and rely heavily on coal for energy consumption. Both countries have serious environmental pollution problems, strong inherent demand for energy transition and rapid development of renewable energy. This project systematically compares and analyzes the status, advantages and disadvantages, and opportunities and challenges of energy transition in both China and India, and proposes targeted countermeasures and suggestions on the basis of international experience. It helps promote the energy transition in India and China, implement the goals of the Paris Agreement, and contribute to global emission reduction. In December 2018, members of the research group visited Mumbai, Kolkata and New Delhi of India for academic exchanges, and participated in the China-India Academic Exchange Year. Academic conferences were also held with the Observer Research Foundation in Kolkata to exchange the mid-term research results of the project. IWEP plans to explore the feasibility of joint online meetings with the Indian side at an opportune time and to apply to close the project in the near future. (SDG 7/13)
  3. Agricultural Trade between China and the Mekong-Lancang Countries: Value Chain Analysis, a project under the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation (LMC) of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China, undertaken by the Cambodia Development Resource Institute (CDRI) and participated by IWEP. The project commenced in May 2018 and was completed in February 2020. Research under this project mainly focused on the basic chain of production, import and export of agricultural products in China and the Lancang-Mekong Basin countries, and accordingly proposed subsequent key areas for cooperation in agricultural products, with the objective to promote cooperation in the agricultural value chain between China and the Lancang-Mekong countries; The results were presented in the research report (consisted of one sub-report for each of the countries). In addition to the CDRI, partner institutions of IWEP also included the Economic Research Institute for Industry and Trade of Laos, the Center for Economic and Social Development of Myanmar, the Centre for Analysis and Forecast of the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences, and the Department of Development and Sustainability of Thailand. A seminar on the relevant methodology was held in Phnom Penh by the CDRI during the research. On September 23, 2019, IWEP held the “Dialogue on Agricultural Trade Cooperation Policy between China and the Lancang-Mekong Countries”, inviting participants from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Commerce, the Ministry of Agriculture and the General Administration of Customs, as well as from IWEP,  to discuss the drafted project report.
  4. In 2019, 2020 and 2021, IWEP and the China-ASEAN Center conducted annual collaborative research on ASEAN and CHINA in Figures (ASEAN and China Statistical Yearbook). The project leader is Associate Research Fellow Xiong Aizong. The project uses publicly available data to provide the China-ASEAN Center, based on the Center’s customized requirements, with data charts for related countries and organizations including China and ASEAN (10 countries). According to the project requirements from the China-ASEAN Center, the data charts covered in the project mainly include basic information (population, language, capital city, etc.), economic operation, multilateral trade, bilateral investment, bilateral tourism and student exchange, and China-ASEAN connectivity (including road, railroad, sea and air transportation) of relevant countries and organizations such as ASEAN, China, Japan, and South Korea.

Research Projects in China-Africa Cooperation

  1. In 2019, IWEP started a research project on China-Africa cooperation, namely the Research on the Construction of the Belt and Road Initiative and China-Africa Infrastructure Cooperation, which is led by Research Fellow Wang Yongzhong. The foreign partner institution is the Center for Import and Export Policy Studies, Ministry of Industry and Trade, Egypt. The research of the project provided theoretical and empirical evidence for China to expand its infrastructure participation in Africa and for African countries to achieve a reasonable balance between infrastructure expansion and debt sustainability. The project carried out thematic exchanges through exchange visits and academic seminars. The subject group organized an academic visit to Egypt in 2018 and an academic visit to Kenya, Ethiopia and Senegal in 2019. In 2019, the leader of the project on the Egyptian side visited Beijing.
  2. In 2020, IWEP started a research project on China-Africa cooperation titled Research on the Construction of the Belt and Road Initiative and China-Africa Energy Cooperation. The leader of the project is Research Fellow Wang Yongzhong, and the foreign partner institution is the Institute of Diplomacy and International Studies, University of Nairobi, Kenya. Activities that have been carried out include the conclusion of the cooperation intent between the two sides during the visit of Wang to the AU headquarters in 2019; Wang’s interaction with African participants through lectures and participation in events on African academic issues organized by the China-Africa Institute, etc. The project is scheduled to be completed by mid-2022.
  3. In 2020, IWEP started a research project on China-Africa cooperation titled Research on China-Morocco Cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative, which commenced in May 2020 and will be completed by May 2022. The project leader is Deputy Director Zou Zhibo. The foreign partner institution for this project is the Amadeus Institute of Morocco. In the eight years since the Belt and Road Initiative was proposed, 140 countries and 32 international organizations have signed intents to join the construction of the Belt and Road Initiative, and the construction has transformed from an abstract overall outline into a meticulously detailed blueprint. Through in-depth joint research with relevant institutions in important countries along the “Belt and Road”, the project will deepen the understanding of relevant issues about the “Belt and Road”, and propose suggestions for countermeasures that are targeted, operable, and easy for communication and conducive to addressing and solving problems. On July 20, 2021, the project team specially organized a seminar on “China-Africa and China-Morocco Cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative”, which was attended by China’s former ambassador to Morocco, resident representatives in Morocco from China Communications Construction Company Ltd., China Railway Group Limited, and China Railway Construction Corporation Limited, and experts and scholars studying Morocco. Currently, IWEP is actively organizing and preparing the relevant results.
  4. In 2021, IWEP started a research project on China-Africa cooperation titled Multidimensional Understanding of China-Africa Cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative: Opportunities, Challenges and Countermeasures, which commenced in July 2021 and will be completed by July 2023. The project leader is Research Fellow Ren Lin, and the foreign partner institution is the Institute for Global Dialogue (IGD). The purpose of the project is to comprehensively comb through and analyze the perceptions of the Belt and Road Initiative in related countries and regions, especially in Africa. Through researching on the problems encountered by Chinese enterprises operating in Africa in terms of their communication with the local governments and employment of local employees, the project focuses on the understanding of African countries on China-Africa cooperation, and their willingness, ability and interests to work with China.
  5. In 2021, IWEP started the project Study on Africa’s Commodity Supply and China’s Economic Security, which is led by Research Fellow Wang Yongzhong.. This project will assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and market price fluctuations on Africa’s supply of commodities, analyze the status, opportunities and challenges of China-Africa trade and investment cooperation in oil and gas, minerals and food, analyze the quantitative impact of production fluctuations of African oil, gas and minerals on China’s supply of energy resources, and make policy recommendations on China-Africa trade and investment cooperation in commodities. The related research will be carried out by the leader of the subject research group during lectures (Q&A interactions) given to the African participants of the foreign-aid class.
  6. In 2021, IWEP started a research project on China-Africa cooperation, namely the Research on China-Africa Cooperation on Global Climate Governance Policies, which is headed by Assistant Research Fellow Tian Huifang. Low-carbon development has been a new direction for development in today’s world, and China and Africa are both actively participating in this process. This project will have an in-depth study on the progress and challenges of the existing cooperation mechanisms and contents, explore the key areas and modes of potential cooperation and analyze the opportunities and challenges facing China-Africa cooperation in the context of carbon neutrality and, on the basis of the study, provide suggestions on how to deepen China-Africa cooperation via jointly tackling climate change under the new situation.