Peking University, Beijing, Dec. 30th, 2008: On Dec. 28th., the Strategic Forum on Financial Crisis, Expanding Domestic Demands and China’s Economy, organized by China’s Center of Strategic Studies of Peking University, was held in Qiu Lin Lecture Hall, International Studies School Building. Famous economists including Hu Zuliu, Wang Jian, Shi Xiaomin, Sheng Hong, Yao Jingyuan and the representative entrepreneur Qin Yuanzheng delivered speeches centering on topics such as the economic situation home and abroad, the financial crisis and the trend of reform, the current China’s economy, the private economy and the development of medium and small enterprises under the financial crisis, the financial crisis and the bodies in expanding domestic demands, and so on. More than 300 people from the fields of the government, enterprises, academics, and journalism attended the forum.
The University President Academician Zhou Qifeng was invited to attend the forum and delivered the welcome speech. President Zhou said he felt the comprehensive and far-reaching impact of the financial crisis upon politics, economy, culture, education and society. He hoped that the participants would study the effects of the financial crisis from the strategic point of view, and the result of their research would play a positive role in the decision-making of the government.
President Zhou talked about the impact of the financial crisis upon the education of the University from the practical point of view. According to him, “the financial crisis brings great financial pressure upon the government and our university which is run by the government and relies on the financial support of the government. Though we believe that the government will do its best to guarantee educational funds, yet we need to know how much the pressure is and how much we need to pay. Education needs not only the governmental support but also donations from the private sector. Yet the financial crisis also brings challenges to donators. Faced with the financial pressure brought by the crisis, we should work harder to increase our revenue and make the best of the existing resources.”
As to the challenges to the education and employment of students, President Zhou said that some overseas students might have financial difficulties which would affect their studies, meanwhile our overseas exchange programs would also be affected by the crisis. President Zhou paid special attention to the employment of students. He pointed out that the harsh employment situation and the increasing number of newly-graduated students might frustrate students. The teachers should work harder to make sure that the quality of education would not be affected by the crisis and make our students more competitive. And special attention should be paid to the psychological impact of the financial crisis upon students.
Professor Ye Zicheng, director of China’s Center of Strategic Studies of Peking University and the organizer representative, gave the keynote speech of “a political analysis of the cause, impact of the financial crisis and people’s reaction to it,” which aroused keen interest among the participants. He said that in the long run, the financial crisis would produce significant influence upon international politics in the future. If China could better deal with the financial crisis, making it an opportunity of improving the development mode to achieve more balanced development, then the Chinese mode would be more influential. It’s said that this is the first time for domestic scholars to discuss the financial crisis from the political point of view.
Edited By: Ding Zhilan
Translated by: Lin Jingxian
Source: Beida News (Chinese)
