On June 20, 2024, the academic seminar on ‘New Quality Productivity and High-level Opening Up to the Outside World’ was successfully held at the Puhe Campus of Liaoning University. The conference was co-sponsored by the Faculty of Economics of Liaoning University and the International Trade Magazine of the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation of the Ministry of Commerce. It was hosted by the School of Finance and Trade of Liaoning University and the China Economic Research Institute. It attracted scholars from more than 40 domestic universities and scientific research institutes.

At the opening ceremony, Professor Li Shuyun, Deputy Director of the Academic Committee of Liaoning University, expressed a warm welcome and sincere thanks to the participants in her speech. She introduced the development status of Liaoning University to the participants from many aspects such as discipline construction, talent introduction, scientific research publication, platform construction, academic activities, and foreign cooperation. Vice President Yu Zirong of the Institute of International Trade and Economic Cooperation of the Ministry of Commerce said in his speech that this academic seminar will show how to “study real problems, really study problems, and adhere to China's problem orientation” from the perspective of combining Marxism and China's specific realities, and conduct in-depth discussions on the theme of ‘New Quality Productivity and High-level Opening Up to the Outside World” to help implement national policies and promote academic progress.

Professor Yu Miaojie, Deputy Secretary of the CPC Committee and President of Liaoning University, Yu Zirong, Vice President of the Institute of International Trade and Economic Cooperation of the Ministry of Commerce, and Professor Ge Suqin, Director of the Future Workplace and Practice Research Center of Virginia Tech, gave keynote speeches.

Speaking on the conference’s main theme, President Yu Miaojie explained the role of new-quality productivity in promoting China's economic growth, and discussed the fit between new-quality productivity and new development concepts. He pointed out that the development of advanced productivity comes from innovation, especially in basic research, which can significantly improve total factor productivity. Driving productivity to a new qualitative leap through technological innovation is the core of new quality productivity, and the development of new quality productivity is the inherent requirement and the key point for promoting high-quality development.

Professor Yu Miaojie further pointed out that high-quality development is reflected in four aspects: supply, demand, circulation and distribution. Supply is the crucial factor, improving total factor productivity is the key to achieving high-quality supply, and new-quality productivity is the core means for improving total factor productivity. Therefore, new-quality productivity is the core to promote high-quality development, and the effective path is to open up at a higher level. China should adhere to opening up on a larger scale, in a wider field, and at a deeper level. The development of service trade should “expand the total amount, adjust the structure, and build characteristics”, and outbound investment should “go globally, go locally, and go extensively”.

With the theme of ‘China-Japan-South Korea economic and trade cooperation under the enabling conditions of RCEP’, Vice President Yu Zirong comprehensively elaborated on the economic and trade cooperation between China, Japan and South Korea under the RCEP free trade agreement from the three levels of “accurately grasping the development status of China-Japan-South Korea economic and trade cooperation”, “comprehensively combing the actual effects of the existing cooperation mechanisms between China, Japan and South Korea” and “striving to enhance the new momentum of the ”re-integration and re-development" of China-Japan-South Korea economic and trade cooperation.

He rationalized the economic and trade ties between China, Japan and South Korea, as well as the existing mechanism for the leaders' meeting of China, Japan and South Korea, the cooperation framework of the China-Japan-South Korea Economic and trade agreement, other levels of intergovernmental dialogue mechanisms and local cooperation mechanisms. On this basis he proposed that the signing of RCEP has provided new momentum for the economic and trade development of China, Japan and South Korea to a new level at this stage.

With the title ‘The impact of technology on China's high- and low-skilled migrant population: a general equilibrium analysis method’, Professor Ge Suqin analyzed the correlation between the different preferences of high- and low-income groups in China's migrant population and their location choices. She argued that technological shocks will have different effects on the location choices of high- and low-income migrant populations. Under the analysis framework of the general equilibrium framework, technological shocks not only affect wages, but also affect rents and the supply of infrastructure. The study found that patent shocks increase the wages of low-skilled and high-skilled workers, but will attract more low-skilled immigrants, because low-skilled workers are more concerned about wages, while high-skilled workers are more concerned about amenities.

The keynote speech was presided over by Professor Huo Weidong, Deputy Director of the Department of Economics of Liaoning University.

In the next ten parallel forums, more than 30 experts and scholars from Fudan University, Renmin University of China, Nankai University, Nanjing University, Southwest University of Finance and Economics, Institute of International Trade and Economic Cooperation of the Ministry of Commerce and other universities and research institutes shared reports on important issues such as the development of new quality productivity, the construction of the ‘Belt and Road’, regional economic development and international trade, and high-level foreign trade and opening up. The guests discussed these issues fully and the atmosphere was harmonious and warm.

More than 100 representatives of teachers and students from the whole school participated in the meeting.