On March 27, the First Standing Council Meeting of Zhejiang Association of Area Studies (ZAAS) was held at the Wenhua Campus of ZUFE. Association leaders and invited experts gathered to discuss the development of the association.
Guo Huawei, President of ZAAS, delivered a work report on behalf of the association, reviewing the work carried out since its establishment and outlining the blueprint for its future development. He noted that this year marks the beginning of the association’s operations as well as the start of the 15th Five-Year Plan period. The association will closely adhere to the principle of “Five Services,” driven by the construction of an association-think tank academic community, with a focus on advancing four key tasks: research tracing the path of origin (“xunji suyuan”), building the “1+4+N” academic brand, diversified evaluation and selection of outstanding achievements, and compiling the annual Blue Book. He emphasized the need to enhance self-improvement and strive to create a “Members’ Home.” First, political construction should be strengthened to reinforce political guidance. The temporary Party branch of the association should fulfill its political functions, safeguard ideological positions, and build ZAAS into a social organization characterized by “firm political stance, down-to-earth work style, standardized management, and dedicated service.” Second, active exploration should be made to continuously innovate working mechanisms. The association should collaborate with its think tanks to explore and establish six mechanisms: a multi-stakeholder linkage mechanism involving government, industry, universities, research institutes, end-users and media, an interdisciplinary collaborative research mechanism, a multi-level academic exchange linkage mechanism, a coordinated policy and business consultation service mechanism, a resource-sharing mechanism for mutual benefit, and a diversified outcome evaluation and incentive mechanism. Third, unity and cooperation should be fostered to create a collaborative working atmosphere. Full play should be given to the deliberation mechanisms such as Presidents’ Meetings, Standing Council Meetings, and Council Meetings, leveraging the “Zhejiang Area Studies Salon” and the annual academic conference as platforms to create a vibrant landscape of “the Academy sets the stage, everyone performs”. Fourth, management should be standardized, and the responsibility system for Party conduct and integrity construction should be strictly implemented. It is imperative to improve internal development, strengthen the association’s own leadership capacity and refine information disclosure mechanisms to foster a healthy political ecosystem of integrity and entrepreneurship.
At the meeting, Zheng Yali, Member of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and Vice President and Secretary-General of the association, delivered a presentation on the spirit of the Two Sessions (National People’s Congress and CPPCC). She closely followed the essence of General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important speech and the core principles of the Government Work Report and deeply integrated her fulfillment of duties with policy interpretation, making the presentation both theoretically profound and practically grounded. Drawing from her personal experiences, she vividly narrated concrete stories of her work as a political advisor, conveying the sense of mission and responsibility of “fulfilling duties for the country and serving the people with dedication.” She transformed the spirit of the Two Sessions into tangible and relatable stories that resonated with the audience, truly capturing their hearts and minds, and injecting a powerful impetus for progress into all those present.
The meeting also reviewed matters including the admission of individual and institutional members, the addition of council members and standing council members, and the association emblem.
(Correspondent: Lan Ying; Editor: Che Peng)
