The Fifth Song Zexing Lecture was held in the Jonathan KS Choi Hall of the Puhe Campus Office Building at Liaoning University on September 16 2023. It was delivered by Professor Peter Drysdale, Honorary Professor of Economics at the Crawford School of Public Policy at the National University of Australia, Director of the East Asian Economic Research Center, and Editor in Chief of the East Asian Forum. He gave an academic presentation titled ‘The Multilateral Trading System, Asia and the Global Order’.

Professor Yu Miaojie, a deputy to the 14th National People's Congress, a member of the Standing Committee of the 14th Liaoning Provincial People's Congress, and Vice Secretary of the Party Committee and President of Liaoning University, delivered a welcome speech. The meeting was chaired by Professor Ma Xiangjun, Vice Dean of the School of Finance and Trade at Liaoning University and Vice Dean of the China Institute of Economics at Liaoning University.

    Professor Drysdale used rich data and cases to elaborate on the vigorous development of emerging economies in Asia over the past forty years and the difficulties they have encountered in recent years. He also discussed the future development path of the Asian economy from the perspectives of Sino-US relations, the status quo of East Asian economies, policy tools, and administrative will. Professor Drysdale's analysis pointed out that the international economic order is the foundation of global prosperity, especially in East Asia. However, the rapid rise of emerging economies in Asia has brought about an imbalance in economic size and international discourse power, uneven distribution of globalization benefits, and emergencies such as the pandemic, which have had a huge impact on the previous international economic order and multilateral trading system, have also triggered a downturn in globalization. The global economy, especially the Asian economy, which is mainly dependent on international trade, thus faces great challenges. In such a situation, Asia has the most motivation and ability to reverse the current trend of protectionism and anti-globalization. Professor Dresdale believes that the transformation of energy and economic development brought about by climate risks will encourage Asia to link climate change with trade reforms, thereby building a more open and efficient economic and trade alliance system. The establishment of RCEP and the effective implementation of CPTPP provides a feasible development path for Asia to reshape the new world economic order and build a new pattern of the world economy.

    At the meeting, Professor Drysdale had a cordial exchange and interaction with teachers and students, and answered their questions carefully and patiently. At the end of the meeting, President Yu Miaojie presented the commemorative plate of ‘Song Zexing Overseas Masters Lecture Hall’ to Professor Drysdale and the letter of appointment of Honorary Professor of Liaoning University. Yin Lijuan and Chen Fu, teacher representatives of the School of Finance and Trade, wore the school emblem and presented flowers to Professor Drysdale. The participants took a group photo together.

    The seminar was hosted by the Department of Economics of Liaoning University, organized by the School of Finance and Trade of Liaoning University, and co-organized by the China Institute of Economics of Liaoning University. The main principals of the department of Economics and more than 300 representatives of teachers and students attended the meeting.

Peter Drysdale

    Professor Peter Drysdale is Honorary Professor of Economics at the Crawford School of Public Policy at the Australian National University, and Head of the East Asian Bureau of Economic Research and East Asia Forum. He is widely recognized as the leading intellectual architect and core consultant of Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), and acted as the organizer and leader after its establishment. He led a ‘celebrity group’ composed of famous scholars from various member states to provide policy advice and suggestions for the development of APEC.

    Professor Drysdale has written a series of far-reaching works and papers in the field of international trade and economic policy in East Asia and the Pacific, among which the most representative is the award-winning book International Economic Pluralism: Economic Policies in East Asia and the Pacific. He has been awarded the highest honor in Australia, the Australian Medal, and is also a recipient of the Asia Pacific Prize, The Weary Dunlop Award, the Japanese Order of the Rising Sun with Gold Rays and Neck Ribbon, and the Australian Centenary Medal. His main research areas include Asia Pacific economic integration, international trade and economic policies, and trade and transformation between East Asia and China. In recent years, his research has focused on China's investment abroad, regional cooperation and economic policies in East and South Asia.