The inauguration ceremony of the Advanced Institute of Global and Contemporary China Studies and the Shenzhen Institute of Data Economy, CUHK-Shenzhen was held at the Shenzhen-Hong Kong Youth Innovation and Entrepreneur Hub in Qianhai. The Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Mrs. Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, delivered a video message for the ceremony while and the Secretary of the Shenzhen Municipal Committee, Mr. Weizhong Wang, delivered remarks on the spot. Guests present at the unveiling included Huang Min, member of the Standing Committee of the Municipal Committee, member of the Party Group of the Municipal Government and Secretary of the Party Working Committee of Qianhai Shenzhen-Hong Kong Cooperation Zone, and Yansheng Xu, President of The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen.

Inauguration Ceremony

Video message from Mrs. Carrie Lam, Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region

Mrs. Lam said: “The research platforms set up by the Qianhai Shenzhen-Hong Kong Modern Service Industry Cooperation Zone Authority and The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen will become an advantage for Hong Kong-Shenzhen cooperation and will definitely bring inspirational policy innovations. President Xi Jinping has high expectations for the construction of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, with clear requirements for Hong Kong-Shenzhen cooperation. Hong Kong will make good use of its unique advantage of "one country, two systems", explore more areas of cooperation with Shenzhen, and make positive contributions to the Greater Bay Area and the deep integration of the two areas.”

Wang Weizhong said that The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen is a model of cooperation in the integration and development of higher education between the mainland and Hong Kong. The Advanced Institute of Global and Contemporary China Studies and the Shenzhen Institute of Data Economy will play an essential role in providing intellectual support to the "twin zones".

Professor Xu Yansheng, President of The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen, said in his speech that the inauguration marks a solid step in the cooperation between CUHK-Shenzhen and Qianhai, and is a good start for the cooperation between the two parties.

In his remarks, President Xu also introduced the basic information of the two institutes. With Prof. Zheng Yongnian as its first dean, the Advanced Institute of Global and Contemporary China Studies is committed to a philosophy of studying the world, exploring the way forward, discovering and upholding the truth, and creating solutions for the well-being of people. It is a comprehensive, think-tank-based social science research institution that integrates talent training, academic exchange and policy research, as well as an international platform studying Hong Kong-Shenzhen integration, international affairs and global development. The Institute is dedicated to the cultivation of data factor markets, focusing on areas such as data privacy protection, data commercialization boundaries, data property rights ownership, data assetization, and data trading mechanism. With the combination of theoretical research and practice in the field of data economy, it strives to build a world-class research platform for data economy. Prof. Xiong Wei will serve as the first academic dean of the Institute.
         

Prof. Zheng Yongnian, Dean of the Advanced Institute of Global and Contemporary China Studies, gave a speech on the theme of "The Third Opening" at the inauguration ceremony. As he remarked, 2021 is the beginning of the 14th Five-Year Plan, as well as  our "first century" ---  the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China (CPC). This will mark a new starting point for our national development. The newly inked bilateral investment treaty (BIT) between China and Europe is undoubtedly a landmark agreement that heralds the third opening of China.