My CIIE Story ? Great Opportunity | Supporting Hongqiao forum with intellectual services

Editor's Note: The fifth China International Import Expo will open in less than a month. In October, several participants of the CIIE will tell their stories themed around "great opportunity" to showcase the positive changes the expo has made to the world and how it has helped build a community with a shared future for mankind over the past five years.

When I started to take charge of the Hongqiao International Economic Forum Research Center in 2021, I hadn't yet seen clear ideas of the center's goals and structure and in what way it could support the Hongqiao forum, which is an important part of the China International Import Expo.

With the aim of making the forum even more successful and comparable with internationally renowned forums, I came up with the idea that the research center ought to be capable of offering long-term high-level intellectual services to support the sustainable development of the forum. Based on this, I established a team consisting of leaders and researchers from the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation.

It was a test for the research center to hold the fourth Hongqiao forum during the COVID-19 pandemic. Before the forum, my colleagues and I went through the topics of major international forums and analyzed the domestic and international situation to propose the theme and subjects of the fourth Hongqiao forum. After rounds of discussions with experts, we finally had a detailed plan.

Following this, I attended several lectures related to the Hongqiao forum in Boao and Qingdao where experts were invited to share insights on China's macro economy and other hot topics.

To ensure the fourth forum could proceed smoothly, my colleagues made manuals that clarified the responsibilities of each team involved. Emergencies caused by the pandemic during the forum were also handled properly.

The launch ceremony for the 2021 World Openness Report, which was organized by us and the Institute of World Economics and Politics of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, was a highlight of the fourth Hongqiao forum. The report received wide recognition from scholars around the world and we will continue to strive to make the report more scientific, authoritative and influential.

The fifth Hongqiao forum will open soon and the research center is making preparations for it. We hope the forum can further demonstrate China's commitment to true multilateralism and opening-up.

The author is the deputy director of the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation and the director of the Hongqiao International Economic Forum Research Center.