“Frontier Issues of Big Power’s Urbanization” Academic Forum Was Held in Chongqing

With Thirty yearsof Reform and Opening up, Chinese people has written a magnificent epic ofurbanization, which has also effectively supported the miracle of China’seconomic growth. Urbanization is considered to be an important engine of China'sfuture economic growth and transformation. With the gradually deepening of market-                   oriented reform since the Third Plenary Session of the EighteenthConference, China's urbanization has not only become a part of socialtransformation process itself, but also will be an important measure for Chinato respond to many challenges faced in the process. China is the world'slargest developing country, and its urbanization process has the basiccharacteristics the same as other world big powers, however, it also has itsparticularities, which means China will not only face common problems otherworld big powers’ have met in their urbanization process, but also more complexproblems with Chinese characteristics.

In order to furtherdiscuss world big powers’ urbanization problems, Economic Research Journal Editorial Department, Center for City andCompetitiveness of CASS and Chongqing Technology and Business University jointlyorganized an Academic Forum themed as“Frontier Issues of Big Power’s Urbanization” on June21, 2014 at Chongqing Technology and Business University. Experts and scholars fromnearly 20 universities and research institutions, such as ChineseAcademy of Social Sciences, Tsinghua University,Beijing University,Wuhan University,Fudan University and so on, participated inthis forum. Through keynote speeches and sub-forum discussions, participatingexperts and scholars had in-depth exchanges circling around frontier and hotissues of big powers’ urbanization. Huang Zhiliang, Vice-president of ChongqingTechnology and Business University, presided overthe opening ceremony. Professor Yang Jirui (President of Chongqing Technology andBusiness University) and Researcher Pei Changhong(Director of Institute of Economics CASS) each delivered a speech to welcomethe presence of guests and delegates, and wished this forum a complete success.

In the firststage of this forum, Researcher Pei Changhong firstly gave a keynote speech "Trendof Industry Development in New-type Urbanization". Researcher PeiChangHongthought that China'surbanization must be supported by industry. He analyzed present situation andfuture trend of China’ssecondary and tertiary industries’ development. Combining with internationalcomparisons and experiences, he argued that industries closely related with new-typeurbanization had great development potentials, such as urban infrastructure,energy conservation and environmental protection, harmless disposal of livinggarbage services, and etc. Professor Yang Jirui summarized the realization pathof new-type urbanization from ten aspects: overall urban-rural development, informationtechnology, infrastructure, scale structure, industry-city integration,ecological civilization, cultural prosperity, resource intensive, fullemployment and social harmony. He pointed out problems to avoid and suggestedcorresponding countermeasures. Then he analyzed issues of funding sources inthe process of promoting urbanization, and gave specific policy recommendationsfrom five aspects: finance, banking，policy, tax and consumption. Researcher Ni Pengfei fromCenter for City and Competitiveness of CASS made a keynote speech entitled “New-type Urbanization: Big Power Characteristics, StructureEffect and Strategic Choice”. He thought that under open system, powers would experience a process of "balanced- unbalanced – balanced" urbanization structure, in which unbalanced urbanizationwould lead to unbalanced economic structure. Although institutional factors couldpromote the realization of rapid economic growth, they would intensify thedegree of urbanization’s imbalance, thus to make the growth unsustainable. Thereexists this kind of problem above in China's traditional urbanizationpattern. Professor Ding Renzhong, President of Sichuan Normal University, madea keynote speech on the gapand remedy in China’s new-type urbanization process. Combining with the status of China’s urbanization developmentsince the Reform and Opening-up, he summarized four "gap" - urbanizationlagging behind industrialization, land urbanization being faster than populationurbanization, level of urban public utility lagging behind populationurbanization, level of basic public services lagging behind urbanization level,and put forward the policy suggestions.

The second stage of this forum’s keynote speecheswas presided by Researcher Zheng Hongliang, Associate Editor of Economic Research Journal. ProfessorLiao Yuanhe, President of Chongqing Industrial Economy Research Institute firstlymade a speech entitled "Goals and Transformation of Development in China'sUrbanization Process”, expounding his understanding of new-urbanization’s connotationand essence. Combining the orientation problems with realistic contradictions inChina's urbanizationprocess, he put forward goals and transformation of China's urbanization process in thenear future. Jian Xinhua, Director of Center for EconomicResearch of Population, Resources and Environment of Wuhan University, made acomprehensive comparison between the new-type urbanization and the old one inhis keynote speech. He analyzed the reasons for ten big problems and sixlaggings mainly faced by China’surbanization on the basis of introducing old-urbanization’s four types andcharacteristics. Finally, he put forward the concrete contents and features ofnew-urbanization’s path with Chinese characteristics. Professor Tang Fangfang,Director of National Policy Laboratory at ChinaCenter for Economic Research of NationalSchool of Development of Peking University, made akeynote speech of productive service industry’s composite roles on small andmedium-sized cities. Combining with field survey data in a certain county, heanalyzed productive service industry’s important roles on small andmedium-sized cities and pointed out that stable improvement of urbanizationlevel at present had not significantly promoted the development of productiveservices. Professor Gao Bo, Director of Real Estate Research Center of Nanjing University reviewed the macroeconomicbackground of new urbanization strategy’s implementation in his keynote speech "New-typeUrbanization and Development of Real Estate Industry". Combining withdata, he analyzed real estate industry’s unique opportunities brought bynew-type urbanization, and gave suggestions for real estate industry’stransformation and upgrading in the background of new-urbanization, such as conductingurban comprehensive development, developing real estate finance, and etc.Associate Professor Zheng Siqi, Deputy Director of Department of ConstructionManagement of Tsinghua University, described research system of urban spatialstructure from two aspects: residential location and job-housing balance. Then heintroduced urban systems’ interactions combined with regional economic integration,and finally interpreted the interaction mechanism of space location andresources-environment from two aspects: local public services and economic mechanismof "green city".

There were 8 sub-forums on the afternoon of June 21，whose themes were Urbanization & Land Issues,Urbanization & Population Structure, Urbanization & Real Estate, UrbanAgglomeration & Space Governance, Urbanization & Finance,Transformation of Shanty Towns & Citizenization of Migrant Workers,Urbanization  & Economic Structureand City & Sustainable Development. Circling around the theme of bigpowers’ urbanization, participating experts and scholars had in-depthdiscussions on China’sachievements and problems in the process from many aspects. A lot of interestingviews on empirical analysis and theoretical policy appeared in thesediscussions. The whole forum was permeated by a thick academic atmosphere, withinteractions and exchanges between speakers and audiences being wonderful andfrequent, while high-level keynote speeches and reports left a deep impressionon everyone. Attendees expressed their hopes to make such academic seminars along-term mechanism.