On March 16, Shanghai Academy convened an expert seminar on the China (Shanghai) Pilot Free Trade Zone. Zhou Guoping, Vice President of Shanghai Academy and Deputy Director of the Development Research Center of Shanghai Municipal People’s Government, presided over the seminar. The Pilot Free Trade Zone Research Group of Shanghai Academy organized the seminar and invited Zhao Yugang, Director of the Reform Division of Shanghai Academy of Development & Reform, Cui Yuanjian, Director of Financial Development and Coordination Division of Shanghai Municipal Financial Service Office, Xu Qingsheng, Director of the Reform Division of the Research Office of Shanghai Municipal People's Government, Zhang Miao, Director of the Policy Research Office of Shanghai Customs District, Jiang Tiancheng, Research Fellow of the Research Bureau of China (Shanghai) Pilot Free Trade Zone Management Committee, Ni Yueju, Research Fellow of the Institute of World Economics and Politics, CASS, and other experts and scholars attended the seminar to thoroughly discuss matters concerning the construction of the Pilot Free Trade Zone.

As a principal member of the research group on the Pilot Free Trade Zone, research fellow Ni Yueju elaborated on matters concerning the future construction plan of the Pilot Free Trade Zone, the relationships with other free trade zones, how to demonstrate Shanghai’s characteristics and the progress made in financial innovation, and scrutinised such matters with the experts from Shanghai. Director Zhao Yugang delivered a detailed introduction to the innovative measures, main problems and countermeasures on the governmental function transformation of the Pilot Free Trade Zone, and put forward suggestions on getting through the closed loops of approval, supervision and credit and strengthening the system integration thinking from the respective of governmental reform. Director Cui Yuanjian highlighted the key innovative measures carried out by the Shanghai Municipal Financial Service Office in the field of construction of the Pilot Free Trade Zone over the past three years, and pointed out the importance of further expanding the opening-up policy in the field of financial service business, and doing a good job in financial regulation and development of a financial risk prevention mechanism. Moreover, relevant personnel from the Research Office of Shanghai Municipal People's Government, the Policy Research Office of Shanghai Customs District, the Research Bureau of China (Shanghai) Pilot Free Trade Zone Administrative Committee, and other units also made a detailed introduction to the work and progress made in the construction of China (Shanghai) Pilot Free Trade Zone.

According to Zhou Guoping’s round-up speech, under new situations and circumstances, the construction of the Pilot Free Trade Zone would target a brand new object and connect with such major national strategies as the “Belt and Road Initiative” to form a mix of policies and measures. Therefore, the research on China (Shanghai) Pilot Free Trade Zone should be positioned and promoted at the national level.

As the principal members of the research group, attendees to the seminar included Yang Huijun, Director of the Secretariat, Shanghai Academy, Li Feng, Director of the Opening-up Research Division of the Development Research Center of Shanghai Municipal People’s Government, Su Qingyi, Associate Research Fellow of Shanghai Academy, Zhang Lin, Assistant Research Fellow of the Institute of World Economics and Politics, CASS, and Zhou Rui, Associate Research Fellow of the Regional Development Study Center of Jiangsu Provincial Academy of Social Sciences.

(By Xiang Jinmei)