Recently, the Seminar on Chinese Modernization and Pudong’s High-leveled Reform and Opening-Up, hosted jointly by Shanghai Party Institute of CPC/Shanghai Administration Institute (SPI/SAI), the Institute of Economics of Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, and Pudong New Area Party Institute of CPC and co-organized by the Research Office of Leading District Development and Government Governance Innovation and High-Leveled Reform and Opening-Up Research Office established by SPI/SAI and Pudong New Area Party Institute of CPC, was held at Pudong New Area Party Institute of CPC. WANG Dezhong, President of Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, ZENG Jun, Vice President of SPI/SAI, and WU Qiang, Deputy District Governor of Pudong New Area, attended the opening ceremony and delivered speeches. More than 100 experts and scholars from 20 institutions exchanged ideas and shared insight on major theoretical and practical issues of Chinese modernization and high-leveled reform and opening-up. They discussed the development situation and offered their advice and suggestions for Pudong’s high-leveled reform and opening-up to promote mutual reinforcement between theoretical research and practical application.

ZENG Jun pointed out in his speech that in November 2020, General Secretary Xi Jinping fully affirmed the remarkable achievements Pudong had made since its reform and opening-up when attending the celebration meeting for the 30th anniversary of Pudong’s development and opening-up. These remarkable achievements not only vividly reflect China’s reform and opening-up and Chinese modernization but also prove the advantages of the socialist system with Chinese characteristics. Just as a drop of water can reflect the brilliance of the sun, a region can epitomize the development of a country. Pudong’s successful practices in development and opening-up have interpreted confidence in the path, theory, system, and culture of socialism with Chinese characteristics at the regional level and, with irrefutable facts, proved the great superiority and strong vitality of the path to Chinese modernization.

ZENG Jun emphasized that currently, China has embarked on a new journey of comprehensively building a modern socialist country and is making strides towards its Second Centenary Goal. The central government supports Pudong in building a leading area for socialist modernization. It sets five strategic goals for Pudong—a pioneer in reform and opening-up at a higher level, a benchmark for independent innovation and development, a leader in global resource allocation, a model for expanding domestic demand, and an example for modern urban governance. Standing at a new starting point, Pudong will continue to shoulder special and important missions on the new journey of Chinese modernization and bravely enter the “no man’s land” on the new path of Chinese modernization. Facing profound and complex changes in the international and domestic environment, we need to maintain strategic focus, grasp the overall situation, clearly see the direction, stand firm, and be able to bear risks. More importantly, we shall further break through barriers, make reform and innovation, and spread the pioneering spirit that dares to make new attempts, and an enterprising spirit that dares to innovate. Only by comprehensively and thoroughly implementing the guiding principles of the Third Plenary Session of the 12th CPC Shanghai Municipal Committee, focusing on key areas and crucial links to overcome difficulties, and strengthening the “four major functions” of promoting global resource allocation, enhancing original scientific and technological innovation, developing high-end industries and opening hub portals, can we take a leading role in terms of deepening higher-leveled reform and opening-up and promoting high-quality development, explore and accumulate experience for higher-level modernization in the country, become a window for comprehensively building a modern socialist country, pioneer in showing the bright prospects and institutional advantages of Chinese modernization to the world and make new contributions to and create new miracles for Chinese modernization.

ZENG Jun said that the Department of Public Administration and Shanghai Development Research Institute of SPI/SAI respectively established the Research Office of Leading District Development and Government Governance Innovation and High-Leveled Reform and Opening-Up Research Office with the Pudong New Area Party Institute of CPC. SPI/SAI hopes that the joint establishment of the research offices can better promote the integration of teaching, research and consulting resources of the city’s Party school system, highlight and enhance the characteristics and advantages of the district-level Party institutes, and facilitate theoretical discussions and exchanges among think tanks. It’s hoped that experts and scholars can have in-depth communication and offer more invaluable advice and insights.

More than 10 experts and scholars from the Financial Research Center of Fudan University, the School of Government of East China University of Political Science and Law, the Digital Economy Research Team of the Shanghai Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, and the Institute of Economics of the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences gave keynote speeches, made special reports and had discussions on topics such as trade in services, artificial intelligence, cluster of leading enterprises, digital platform economy, high-end industry development and talent introduction, development of international communities, and grassroots social governance.