The inaugural conference and the First Member Representative Conference of Zhejiang Association of Area Studies (ZAAS) were successfully held in Hangzhou on December 11. More than 160 guests, experts, scholars and leading officials from over 50 universities across Zhejiang gathered at the event to witness Zhejiang’s area studies embark on a new stage of institutionalized and coordinated development. The establishment of the association will effectively integrate provincial research resources in relevant fields, closely align with national strategies and Zhejiang’s development requirements, and function as an academic link and bridge to promote exchange and mutual learning between civilizations and enhance international communication capacity.
Shen Shicheng, Deputy Director of the Publicity Department of CPC Zhejiang Provincial Committee; Xu Jian, Vice Chairman of Zhejiang Federation of Humanities and Social Sciences; Hu Yumin, Deputy Director, Department of Civil Affairs of Zhejiang Province; Zhang Yue, Provincial Inspector, Department of Education of Zhejiang Province; Zhu Jun, Chief Economist, Department of Commerce of Zhejiang Province; Wang Hongwei, Deputy Director, Foreign Affairs Office of the People’s Government of Zhejiang Province; Hu Huilei, Member of the Party Leadership Group and Secretary-General of Zhejiang Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese; Ge Yongmei, Vice President of CCPIT (China Council for the Promotion of International Trade) Zhejiang Sub-council; Chen Mingyi, Member of the Party Leadership Group and Secretary-General of Zhejiang Federation of Humanities and Social Sciences; Chai Yanfei, Party Secretary and President of China News Service Zhejiang Branch, as well as university representatives from the association’s initiator institutions including Wei Jiang, Qiu Limin, Zhou Jianghong, Chen Yao, Zhang Zhenzhu, Gu Qing, Xia Changqi, Li Qipeng and Yao Min were present at the event. Luo Lin, Director of the Secretariat for Area Studies of the Ministry of Education, and Jiang Feng, President of Shanghai Association of Area Studies and former Party Secretary of Shanghai International Studies University, attended the conference as invited guests. The inaugural conference was presided over by Professor Liu Hongwu, Executive Vice President of ZAAS and Dean of the Institute of African Studies, Zhejiang Normal University.
On behalf of the Publicity Department of CPC Zhejiang Provincial Committee and Zhejiang Federation of Humanities and Social Sciences, Shen Shicheng extended warm congratulations on the founding of the association. He stressed that boosting area studies is an inherent requirement for developing the three systems for fields of study, academia and discourse in philosophy and social sciences with Chinese characteristics, as well as fundamental support for balancing development and security and securing strategic initiative amid a volatile international landscape. He outlined four priorities for the association’s future work:
First, stay firmly anchored in the right orientation. Guided by the Party’s innovative theories, research shall be rooted in China’s real-world practices to generate insights of global significance and consolidate academic foundations.
Second, pursue high-standard development. Centered on the practice of the Chinese path to modernization, the association will leverage national strategic needs alongside Zhejiang’s comparative strengths to build a preeminent research platform renowned nationwide with distinctive Zhejiang features.
Third, deepen international academic exchanges and mutual learning. It will conduct in-depth research on the history and current realities of target countries, facilitate the global rollout of research outcomes, and harness new technologies to boost research efficiency.
Fourth, prioritize practical, result-oriented work. Starting from minor observations to grasp broader trends, the association will focus on policy consultation, business consultation, public enlightenment and mutual learning, deliver high-caliber think tank findings tailored to practical needs to effectively serve national strategies and Zhejiang’s socioeconomic development.
On behalf of the Department of Education of Zhejiang Province, Zhang Yue extended warm congratulations on the establishment of the association. She emphasized that as an emerging interdisciplinary discipline, area studies plays a pivotal role in cultivating outstanding talents capable of engaging in international affairs and global governance, and boosting China’s discourse power and influence on the global stage.
In her remarks, the inauguration of Zhejiang Association of Area Studies (ZAAS) signals that Zhejiang’s research and talent development in area studies have entered a new stage featuring coordinated advancement and systematic development. Functioning as a high-level comprehensive platform integrating academic exchange, policy consultation, talent cultivation and research achievement commercialization for relevant disciplines, the association is urged to fulfill three core requirements: first, adhere to the fundamental task of fostering talent and cultivate high-quality international professionals; second, capitalize on interdisciplinary integration to develop specialized research fields with distinctive competitive edges; third, emphasize practical efficacy and consistently strengthen capacity to serve socioeconomic advancement.
On behalf of the Secretariat for Country and Regional Studies in Universities under the Ministry of Education, Luo Lin extended sincere congratulations on the inauguration of the association. He noted that area studies is an academic discipline “born out of real-world concerns and fostered amid national strategic imperatives”, tasked with rooting its research in China’s practical experience while keeping abreast of global shifts, so as to deliver precise intellectual and decision-making support for China’s core national interests.
He remarked that the inauguration of the association will inject robust “Zhejiang Momentum” into nationwide area studies. He set forth three expectations:
First, prioritize integrated innovation to galvanize endogenous momentum for disciplinary progress; Second, advance foundational development to shore up the long-term underpinning of the discipline; Third, deepen dialogue and mutual learning to fulfill the contemporary mission of inter-civilization exchanges. Taking the founding of the association as an opportunity, the association shall pool concerted academic strengths spanning from the Zhijiang River to the rest of the globe, tell compelling stories of Zhejiang and China, and elevate the international discourse power of Chinese academia.
On behalf of the initiating universities and the secretariat of the association, Wei Jiang extended warm congratulations on the inauguration of Zhejiang Association of Area Studies (ZAAS) in his address. He pointed out that advancing area studies constitutes an inherent requirement for serving national strategies and advancing high-standard opening-up in Zhejiang, as well as an important pathway for universities to strengthen disciplinary development and nurture internationally competent professionals.
Zhejiang University of Finance and Economics will provide full support for the association’s development in four aspects: consolidate platform development to ensure the association’s efficient operation; leverage disciplinary strengths to conduct distinctive research tailored to national and Zhejiang’s development needs; prioritize interdisciplinary talent cultivation to consolidate intellectual underpinnings; expand exchanges and cooperation to elevate academic standing. Working alongside all member institutions, we will advance high-quality development of area studies and contribute Zhejiang’s insights to China’s foreign-related strategies.
Xu Jian, Member of the Party Leadership Group and Vice Chairman of Zhejiang Federation of Humanities and Social Sciences, read out the Official Reply Approving the Establishment of Zhejiang Association of Area Studies. Hu Yumin, Member of the Party Leadership Group and Deputy Director-General of the Department of Civil Affairs of Zhejiang Province, read out the Decision on Approving the Establishment of Zhejiang Association of Area Studies.
Delegates present carefully reviewed and approved documents including the Articles of Association of Zhejiang Association of Area Studies. The meeting elected 86 directors and 3 supervisors, together with the association’s first-term leadership: president, executive vice presidents, vice presidents, secretary-general, standing directors and chief supervisor.
Guo Huawei of Zhejiang Federation of Humanities and Social Sciences was elected President. Liu Hongwu from Zhejiang Normal University was elected Executive Vice President. The five Vice Presidents are Mei Xinlin (Zhejiang University of Technology), Zhang Zhenzhu (Ningbo University), Zheng Yali (Zhejiang University of Finance and Economics), Xu Liqin (Zhejiang University of Science and Technology) and Hong Gang (Zhejiang International Studies University), with Zheng Yali concurrently serving as Secretary-General. Altogether 23 individuals including Gong Sen from Zhejiang University were chosen as Standing Directors, and Xu Xiaozhou of Zhejiang University was appointed Chief Supervisor. The association’s Secretariat is stationed at Zhejiang University of Finance and Economics.
Vice Chairman Xu Jian of Zhejiang Federation of Humanities and Social Sciences presented the official plaque to Guo Huawei, the newly elected President of the association.
In his inaugural speech as the newly elected President, Guo Huawei vowed to rally and lead the new council in advancing the steady and high-quality development of the association across four key dimensions. First, uphold the correct political stance and consolidate ideological foundations to steer the association along the path set by the Party and the country. Second, honor the association’s five-pronged mission: serving national strategies and local growth, promoting exchanges between civilizations and international communication, fostering an autonomous knowledge system for China’s area studies, supporting the high-quality “going global” of enterprises, and facilitating member development, so as to fulfill its responsibilities. Third, act as a vital bridge to facilitate collaborative innovation. Fourth, keep strengthening the association’s internal governance to consolidate its foundation for future growth.
He stressed that the association will commit itself to advancing Zhejiang’s “Two Pioneering Goals”, boosting the development of an open province, advancing the disciplinary development of area studies and building Zhejiang into a strong province in social sciences, and contributing more wisdom and solutions featuring Chinese essence and Zhejiang characteristics to the development of a community with a shared future for mankind.
Founded jointly by nine universities, namely Zhejiang University, Zhejiang University of Technology, Zhejiang Normal University, Ningbo University, Zhejiang Gongshang University, China Jiliang University, Zhejiang University of Finance and Economics, Zhejiang University of Science and Technology and Zhejiang International Studies University, the association was officially established.
Following the inauguration ceremony, Jiang Feng, President of Shanghai Association of Area Studies and former Party Secretary of Shanghai International Studies University, delivered an academic report entitled The Disciplinary Identity and Mission of China’s Area Studies.
The association aims to leverage the role of a scholarly community as a social organization for social sciences. It will unite, organize and serve its extensive membership by facilitating academic exchanges, theoretical innovation, policy and corporate consulting, talent cultivation and information sharing related to area studies. Centered on its five service objectives, it serves national strategies and local socioeconomic development, promotes inter-civilization exchanges and international communication, supports the development of an autonomous knowledge system for China’s area studies, bolsters enterprises’ high-quality overseas expansion and advances member growth, contributing to elevating Zhejiang’s overall influence in area research.
(Editor: Che Peng)
