On December 24, the 2023 forum on “High-Quality Development of Modernized Capital Circle and Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Coordinated Innovation: Enhancing the Development of Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Region through Coordinated Innovation” was hosted by CUEB, co-organized by the Collaborative Innovation Center for Economic and Social Development Research in Megacities, Economic and Social Development Research in Megacities, the Office of Research, Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Big Data Research Center, and Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Research Center. It was held in the Conference Room 7 of the Bona Building.

The forum centered on “Enhancing High-Quality Development of Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Region through Coordinated Innovation”, structured across four sessions. The first morning session was presided by Professor Yin Zhichao, member of the Standing Committee of the Party Committee and Vice President. Professor Wu Weixing, Deputy Party Secretary and President of CUEB, extended a warm welcome and gratitude to the attending leaders, scholars, and the academic community. He highlighted the university’s dedication to fostering academic dialogues on capital growth and regional synergy. It gives full play to the role of a “think tank” to drive forward regional advancement with other forces.

Yin Zhichao Presides the first morning session.

In the expert presentations, Professor Yang Kaizhong, academician of the International Eurasian Academy of Sciences and Secretary of Research Institute for Eco-civilization of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, gave a speech on “Promoting the Coordinated Industrial Development of Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei with a Complementarity-Oriented Approach”. He remarked that we should make industrial decisions according to the complementarity of Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei to turn the Region into innovation areas. Then, Professor Liu Binglian, Chairman of The Regional Science Association of China, Dean of Nankai University College of Economic and Social Development, and Member of Expert Advisory Committee of Coordinated Development of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Region, delivered a lecture on “Advancing China's New Pattern of Openness through Coordinated Development of Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Region”. He envisioned the path for collaborative and open development of Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Region. Finally, Professor Fang Chuanglin, academician of the International Eurasian Academy of Sciences and distinguished researcher of Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, presented a keynote on “The Coordinated Path for High-Quality Development of Modernized Metropolitan Areas”, detailing the Coordinated path of high-quality urban development while highlighting the importance of not excessively expanding or overstating metropolitan areas, nor overestimating the support capacity of metropolitan areas.

The second morning session was chaired by Professor Shen Jianjun, former Director of the Science and Technology Committee of the Beijing Municipal Committee of the CPPCC. Cai Yuezhou, Director of the Research Office of the Institute of Quantitative & Technological Economics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, gave a speech titled “Digital Economy and Building of the New Developmental Paradigm: The mechanism, current status, and key areas of Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei coordination”. Tian Xuebin, Member of the Standing Committee of the Party Committee, Vice President of Hebei University of Economics and Business, and Executive Director of the Hebei Province Collaborative Innovation Center for Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Coordinated Development, gave a speech titled “Achievement and Outlook of R&D in Beijing and Tianjin and the Transformative Development of Hebei”, Associate Professor Jiang Cheng, Deputy Dean of CUEB Academy of Metropolis Economic and Social Development, gave a speech titled “Coordinated Innovation in Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Area by Translating Scientific and Technological Advancements into Practical Applications”.

The first and second afternoon sessions were respectively chaired by Professor Fan Hejun, Deputy Director of CUEB Office of Research, and Professor Ke Wenjin, former Director of the Economic Committee of the Beijing Municipal Committee of CPPCC. Professor Li Guoping, Dean of Beijing Development Institute, Peking University, Professor Sun Jiuwen, former President of National Institute of Economic Geography and Professor Shi Minjun, Supervisor of The Regional Science Association of China, together with Wang Zuo, Level II Bureau Rank Official of  Beijing Municipal Bureau of Economy and Information Technology, Professor Zhang Jie, Deputy Dean of RUC Capital Development and Governance Institute and Professor Ye Tanglin, Executive Vice President of the Institute of Economic and Social Development in Megacities, presented keynote speeches respectively on coordinated innovation and industrial growth, construction of a modernized industrial system and pioneering demonstration zones for Chinese modernization in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Region. Their collective insights offered a roadmap to elevate the region into a model of high-quality development.

The forum achieved a complete success. It was supported by institutions like Beijing Development Institute, Peking University, Institute of Regional Economics and Urban Management of Renmin University of China, Nankai University College of Economic and Social Development, the Collaborative Innovation Center on Integrated Development of Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region of HUEB, and Research Center on Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Development of Hebei University of Technology. Attendees included faculty and students from the Academy of Metropolis Economic and Social Development, College of Urban Economics and Public Administration, School of Economics, and School of Management and Engineering.