From June 22nd to 23rd, 2024, Shanghai, China - The International Business Association Special Session and the 7th International Symposium co-hosted by ECUST and University of San Francisco (USF) was successfully held at ECUST. The theme of this symposium was "Foreign Investment and Trade in Emerging Markets in the Digital Age: Collaborating on International Business and International Economics," which attracted over 200 scholars, industry leaders, and entrepreneurs from the fields of international business and international economics from around the world. Prof. Peter Liesch, Chairman of the International Business Association and Professor at the University of Queensland, Prof. YAN Haifeng, Co-Chair of the Symposium and Vice President of ECUST, and Prof. YANG Xiaohua, Co-Chair of the Symposium and Professor at USF, delivered speeches on behalf of the organizers, with Prof. HE Xiaoming from the School of Business at ECUST presiding over the meeting.

    The two-day keynote speech sessions were chaired by Co-Chair and Prof. LI Lei from the University of Nottingham Ningbo China, Prof. YAN Haifeng, Prof. YANG Xiaohua, and Prof. CHE Yi from ECUST. Nine renowned scholars presented the latest insights in the fields of international business and international economics.

    Prof. Peter Liesch explored the new logic of international business in the context of digitalization. Prof. LI Jiatao from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology discussed the strategic adaptation of Chinese high-tech enterprises in an increasingly turbulent and uncertain global environment from a political risk perspective. Prof. LI Zhiyuan from Fudan University believed that the ability of enterprises to reallocate investments within existing export industries and to deploy existing investments into new industries is crucial. Prof. DONG Qingling from the University of International Business and Economics provided a detailed introduction to the application of data, algorithms, and computing power in social science research, emphasizing the importance of interdisciplinary integration. Prof. DING Yibing from Jilin University, based on China's foreign direct investment stock data, studied the impact of foreign investment security reviews on China's outward foreign direct investment (OFDI) and its spatial spillover effects. Prof.  WU Changqi from Peking University/Shandong University discussed the background and significance of the "Belt and Road" initiative as a tool to bridge the global infrastructure gap and promote global economic growth.

    The thematic speech sessions were chaired by Prof. WANG Liang from USF, Prof. ZHENG Qinqin from Fudan University, and Prof. SONG Yuanyang from ECUST. The symposium invited Prof. DENG Zhiliang from the National Development Research Institute at Peking University, Prof. CUI Hong from the University of Waterloo in Canada, Prof. Jane LU from the City University of Hong Kong, Prof. XIE Zhenzhen from Sun Yat-sen University, Prof. SU Yiyi from Tongji University, Prof. Michele Geraci from Shanghai New York University, Prof. JIA Ming from Northwestern Polytechnical University, Prof. BU Maoliang from the Business School at Nanjing University, and Prof. YU Jianrong from Zhejiang University of Technology and other nine well-known experts and scholars for academic sharing.

    To strengthen the exchange between journal editors and authors and to address issues encountered by authors in research, writing, and submission, the symposium also featured an editors' forum chaired by Prof. XIE Hongming from Guangzhou University. The forum invited Guo Ruonan, the executive editor of "The World Economy," Song Chengyu, the editor-in-chief of "Foreign Economics & Management," and Wei Tian, the deputy editor-in-chief of Management and Organization Review, among others. The guests shared their views on core issues in research topics, design, and submission from the perspective of the journals.

    The symposium also established multiple sessions such as the entrepreneurs' forum, industry leaders' forum, parallel forums, and doctoral students' parallel forums.

    Shanghai, China - East China University of Science and Technology (ECUST) and University of San Francisco (USF) are pleased to announce the successful conclusion of the Seventh International Symposium, a prestigious event that has become a cornerstone for academic exchange between the two institutions. The symposium has provided attendees with an invaluable platform for dialogue, fostering the collision of ideas and the sharing of experiences among experts from various fields.