For over forty years, we have stood at the forefront of reform and opening-up, and our thoughts have contributed to the development of Shenzhen SEZ. The year 2025 marks the 45th anniversary of the establishment of the Shenzhen SEZ. Guided by the pioneering spirit of the SEZ and propelled by the academic pursuit of “endless reform”, CCSEZR serves as both a testing ground for theoretical innovation in China’s reform and opening-up and an academic highland in the global landscape of SEZ research. Standing at this new historical starting point, we will focus our efforts on the core spirit of the SEZ, leverage disciplinary development as our breakthrough point, ground our work in research innovation and talent development, and embrace the mission of policy consultancy and think tank construction to build a new system for SEZ research with Chinese characteristics and global influence.

Reinforcing the foundation of academic plateau with disciplinary development as the breakthrough point

Theoretical economics is the foundation for our disciplinary development. Guided by the “Double First-Class” initiative, we will establish a new disciplinary paradigm with the concept of “classical theory + frontier and interdisciplinary disciplines”. We will revitalize traditional preponderant disciplines such as Political Economy, Western Economics, History of Economic Thought, and Economic History, and simultaneously fostering new preponderant disciplines in emerging fields like Digital Economy and SEZ governance. By developing a distinctive cluster of disciplines in “SEZ Economics” and establishing an interdisciplinary research platform, we will deepen the integration of economics with technologies such as big data and AI, allowing the tree of scholarship to take deep root and flourish in the fertile soil of the SEZ.
 

Taking research innovation and talent development as the foundation to nurture the roots of the academic forest

In scientific research, we will deeply cultivate the experimental field of the SEZ. We will advance theoretical innovation to produce original outcomes with distinctive Chinese characteristics, and follow a practice-oriented approach to provide “SEZ solutions” for the construction of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. In talent development, we will implement our “Talent Program” for talent selection to build a “T-shaped” cross-disciplinary talent training system. Through platforms like SEZ practice bases and policy simulation labs, we are committed to develop new-era economists who can both deeply engage in the academic field and address the questions of the current era, ensuring every student becomes an inheritor of the SEZ spirit and a carrier of the genes of reform.

Adhering to the mission of social service and shouldering the responsibility of think tank consultation

As a Key Research Institute of Humanities and Social Sciences under the Minist of Education, we constantly remember our mission to se e as a “high-caliber think tank”. Our goal is to build a comprehensive “think bank”, “talent pool”, and “information reposito ” for SEZ research by leveraging agship projects such as the “World Special Economic Zone Forum”, the “Annual Repo on the Development of China’s Special Economic Zones (Blue Book)”, the “ e Studies on China’s Special Economic Zones (Collected Papers)”, the “Index of Special Economic Zone Research Literature”, and the “Loose-leaf Collection of Suggestions”. In policy consultation, we focus on the development strategy of “Shenzhen SEZ + Shenzhen Pilot Demonstration Zone” to provide “SEZ wisdom” for government decision-making. In se ing the community, we deliver “SEZ solutions” to market entities through platforms like the Enterprise Diagnostic Room and Reform Obse ato . In fostering international dialogue, we project the “SEZ Voice” of Chinese academia via the Global Special Economic Zone Forum. With remarkable achievements yielded over fo y years of reform, and forging ahead on the new journey with determination, we will continue to uphold the principle of “Rooted in the SEZ, Se ing the Nation, and Engaging with the World”. We are con dent that we will break through academic boundaries with the freedom of thought and climb the research heights with the courage of innovation. Here, eve piece of data carries the code of reform, eve research paper bears the imprint of the era, and eve scholar shoulders the historical responsibility. Let us join hands and work together to inscribe a magni cent academic masterpiece of this era on the journey of building the discourse system of socialism with Chinese characteristics in economics.