From July 7 to 8, the Sino-German bilateral academic seminar on “Technological Changes and the Development of Digital Economy” co-organized by Shanghai Administration Institute (SAI) and Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung Shanghai Office was held at SAI. The seminar got on through offline and online interaction, and Chinese and German experts had academic exchanges through video.

  ZENG Jun, Vice President of SAI and René Bormann, Director of Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung Shanghai Office attended the seminar and delivered speeches. MEILihong, Provost of SAI, made a summary of the seminar and delivered a closing speech. Focusing on “How digital and technological changes have changed the economicstructure,” “Are technological changes an opportunity or a threat to employment and society?” “How to organize and supervise the digital economy” “Digital development needs funding, and opportunities for experimentation and trial and error –-- how to ensure the above conditions?” and other topics, more than 50 experts and scholars from China and Germany conducted extensive and in-depth discussions and exchanges.

  In his speech, ZENG Jun pointed out that in recent years, China has attached great importance to the development of the digital economy, intensified promoting innovation-driven development strategies, andspeeded up the replacement of old growth drivers with new ones. As a result, the role of digital economy as a new driving force for economic growth, has become increasingly prominent. Especially in this year, in the prevention and control of the COVID-19 pandemic and reducing its negative impact, digital economy platforms have demonstrated unique advantages, playing an important role in information aggregation, data sharing, resource allocation, material distribution, and supporting the resumption of work and production, and stabilizing employment. Conducting cross-border, interdisciplinary, and cross-industry exchanges and seminars is of great significance for further pooling the wisdom of China and Germany on the development of digital economy, and enhancing the consensus of the two countries on working together to create a global digital governance system. ZENG Jun hoped that this seminar would contribute more wisdom to industrial integration, social benefits, and governance patterns, and form more creative and feasible consensus on seizing new opportunities in the development of digital economy and resolving new challenges brought about by the process.

  During the seminar, Prof. ZHANG Haibing, Dean Assistant of Shanghai Institute for International Studies, Prof. Dr. Carsten Hahn of Department of Economics, Karlsruhe University of Applied Sciences, Prof. Dr. Werner Eichhorst, Coordinator of Labor Market and Social Policy in Europe, Institute of Labor Economics, Dr. WANG Chunying from Antai College of Economics & Management, Shanghai Jiao Tong Universitygave thematic reports separately. During the Q&A and discussion session, Chinese and German experts and scholars conducted further exchanges and discussions focusing on “What role SMEs play in the digitalization process and whether there is a monopoly trend,” “How technological changes change the employment structure,” and “The roles of the market and the state in the innovation R&D and implementation,” and “How the public sector provides funds for innovation and development” and other issues.