To thoroughly implement General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important expositions on the “Two Integrations” and advance the construction of an independent knowledge system for Chinese economics, a symposium titled “The 'Two Integrations' and Building an Independent Knowledge System for Chinese Economics” was successfully held at Beijing Normal University on March 7, 2026. Co-hosted by BNUBS and the Academy of Chinese Culture | Jingshi Academy of Beijing Normal University, the event received academic support from the research group “Contemporary Economics and the Inheritance, Innovation of Chinese Economic Thought, Culture and Civilization” at the Institute of Economics, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, and the innovative team “Research on Chinese Culture for the Global Initiatives” at Beijing Normal University. Renowned experts and scholars from top universities including Tsinghua University, Peking University, Fudan University, Shanghai University of Finance and Economics, Zhongnan University of Economics and Law, as well as the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, gathered to conduct in-depth discussions, exchange ideas, and build academic consensus on the symposium theme.

The opening ceremony was presided over by Xiao Kai, Associate Dean of the Academy of Chinese Culture | Jingshi Academy of Beijing Normal University. Kang Zhen, Member of the University Party Committee and Vice President of Beijing Normal University, and Pei Changhong, Former Director and Researcher of the Institute of Economics, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, delivered speeches successively. Vice President Kang Zhen noted that this year marks the 10th anniversary of General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important speech at the Symposium on Philosophy and Social Sciences. As we accelerate the construction of philosophy and social sciences with Chinese characteristics, the university has specially established the Academy of Chinese Culture | Jingshi Academy as a key platform to coordinate and integrate interdisciplinary research in humanities and social sciences and advance the development of an independent knowledge system. The proposal of the “Second Integration” provides methodological guidance, as well as practical, historical and cultural foundations for building China’s independent knowledge system. This symposium will further promote the in-depth integration of the “Two Integrations” and research on Chinese economics. As the initiator of the symposium and head of the research group at the Institute of Economics, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Researcher Pei Changhong introduced the origin and significance of the event. He also shared his profound thoughts on the inheritance and innovation of fine traditional Chinese culture and Chinese economic thought based on his experience in studying the first volume of Selected Economic Works of Xi Jinping.

(From left: Xiao Kai, Kang Zhen, Pei Changhong)

The symposium’s presentations were divided into four sessions, with 14 experts and scholars drawing on their research fields to exchange cutting-edge achievements in constructing an independent knowledge system for Chinese economics from dimensions including theoretical origin, historical reference, practical innovation and methodological reform.

In the first morning session, Professor Zhou Wen from Fudan University, in his presentation “The 'Second Integration' and Socialist Political Economy with Chinese Characteristics”, pointed out that the “Second Integration” consolidates the cultural foundation for socialist political economy with Chinese characteristics. Professor Cheng Lin from Shanghai University of Finance and Economics systematically reviewed China’s traditional ideological system of agricultural economic management, noting that the system centered on “heaven, earth and humans” provides iconic concepts and practical wisdom for constructing an independent knowledge system for current agricultural economic management. Professor Zhang Hui from Peking University, taking the theories of weight and balance, economic cycles, and Fan Zhongyan’s famine relief policies as examples, revealed the rich treasures and theoretical significance contained in traditional Chinese economic thought, and shared important achievements in the development of economic history and history of economic thought disciplines at Peking University.

(From left: Zhou Wen, Cheng Lin, Zhang Hui)

In the second morning session, Associate Researcher Zhang Qi from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences proposed that building an independent knowledge system requires integrating Marxism, fine traditional Chinese culture and foreign social science resources, and demonstrated the characteristics of the Chinese view of fairness through China-Western comparisons. Professor Long Denggao from Tsinghua University, starting from traditional Chinese land tenure systems, refined the concept of “factor ownership”, bridged the theoretical connection between traditional land systems and modern data element property rights, and provided innovative theoretical support for market-oriented factor allocation. Professor Zhou Jianbo from Peking University, taking the Sinicization of Buddhism in medieval China as an example, interpreted the historical experience of integrating Chinese and foreign cultures to build an independent knowledge system, highlighting the cultural subjectivity of “taking me as the main and serving my purposes”.

(From left: Zhang Qi, Long Denggao, Zhou Jianbo)

The afternoon session was presided over by Professor Cai Hongbo from Beijing Normal University. In the first afternoon discussion, Professor Han Jing from Beijing Normal University, taking the international implications of Wang Anshi’s Green Sprout Law as an example, emphasized the importance of rooting Chinese practice in innovating economic research. Professor Zou Jinwen from Zhongnan University of Economics and Law, from the perspective of the history of economic thought, drew on the experience of the German Historical School, reviewed the independent exploration of economics in modern China, and clarified the historical mission of the history of economic thought. Professor Ding Xiaoqin from Shanghai University of Finance and Economics explained the original contributions of the economic reform theory in Xi Jinping’s Economic Thought, compared domestic and foreign reform practices, and clarified the core direction of deepening economic reform in the new era. Professor Li Xiaoping from Zhongnan University of Economics and Law focused on the construction of an independent knowledge system for China’s world economics discipline, proposing implementation paths based on opening-up practice, refining iconic concepts and innovating research methods to help Chinese academia go global.

(From left: Cai Hongbo, Han Jing, Zou Jinwen, Ding Xiaoqin, Li Xiaoping)

In the second afternoon discussion, Professor Zhang Xiaoling from Nanjing Audit University proposed that traditional Chinese society formed a famine relief and prevention ideology featuring government intervention as the mainstay, folk mutual assistance as a supplement, and people-oriented governance, which constitutes the ideological source of modern social security theory and endows it with rich connotations. Associate Professor He Hongzhong from Nanjing Audit University discussed the construction of a population, resources and environment ideological system with Chinese characteristics from the perspective of historical tradition and national power, noting that traditional people-oriented ideology and the concept of “harmony between humanity and nature” have profound historical roots, and national power serves as a key link connecting tradition and modernity. Associate Researcher Peng Lei from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences analyzed the scientific methodology of the “Two Integrations”, compared the research paradigms of Western economics and Marxist political economy, and emphasized a research approach that values both qualitative and quantitative analysis, as well as induction and deduction. Lecturer Chen Yueyuan from Beijing Normal University revealed the commonalities and evolutionary paths of early modern Chinese and Western social organization and property rights systems through comparisons, providing a historical perspective for understanding the characteristics of China’s economic system.

(From left: Zhang Xiaoling, He Hongzhong, Peng Lei, Chen Yueyuan)

Finally, Researcher Pei Changhong concluded the symposium. Combining the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping’s May 17th Speech, he systematically summarized the core achievements from three dimensions: inheritance and nationality, originality and contemporaneity, systematicness and professionalism. The nationality of economics is an inherent objective requirement, and China’s economic practice and ideology have profound historical inheritance; originality must be problem-oriented and refine iconic concepts with enduring vitality; systematicness and professionalism must take Xi Jinping’s Economic Thought as the soul and framework to achieve organic integration of research in various fields. Building an independent knowledge system for Chinese economics is a long-term and gradual historical task requiring continuous efforts of generations of scholars. Chinese economics will surely gain a firm foothold and shine brilliantly on the international academic stage.

Closely adhering to the core essence of the “Two Integrations” and focusing on the contemporary mission of building an independent knowledge system for Chinese economics, this symposium gathered top national academic forces to achieve in-depth integration of history and reality, theory and practice, as well as Chinese and Western cultures. Its successful holding further clarified the path and direction for constructing an independent knowledge system for Chinese economics, consolidated academic consensus, and injected strong impetus into promoting the innovative development of Chinese economics and enhancing the international discourse power of Chinese academia.

Edited by Chen Yueyuan

Reviewed by Hu Conghui