Academic conference in Guangdong attracted world’s top universities

On September 24, an online conference featuring 4 sub-sessions under the theme of Asian Powers in the Eastern Mediterranean attracted nearly 100 scholars from world-renowned universities and think tanks such as Cambridge University, Moscow State University, Tsinghua University and Fudan University to share their insightful studies which can be potentially published as a special issue on Journal of Balkan & Near Eastern Studies.  

The conference was co-sponsored and organized by the International Business School of Guangdong University of Finance & Economics (IBS of GDUFE), Yasar University Center for Mediterranean Studies, University of East London (UEL) Center for the Study of State, Market & People (STAMP), The Innovation Center for China-US Youth Exchange (GDUFE) and ‘Belt & Road’ International Business Research Center (GDUFE).

Dr. Defne Gönenç from Yasar University served as the hostess and Professor Vassilis Fouskas from UEL was invited to deliver a keynote speech entitled State Competition and Capital Accumulation Regimes in the Eastern Mediterranean.

Professor Huang Qingan, the Dean of IBS, delivered an opening speech and chaired one of the ‘China’ topic sessions. In his speech, Professor Huang Qingan detailed the organization process of the conference and expressed heartfelt thanks to the organizing team. He then described the status quo of IBS, including its structure of academic disciplines, internationalized teachers team and graduate’s further education situation, especially the achievements of the joint education program with University of Exeter Business School. As a young school, Professor Huang stated that IBS was honored to co-host the conference and felt obliged to work harder to strengthen international exchanges, tell China’s stories and put more efforts in academic research, together with ‘Belt & Road’ African Studies Alliance, ‘Belt & Road’ International Business Research Center (GDUFE) and The Innovation Center for China-US Youth Exchange (GDUFE). He sincerely hoped the event would encourage scholars to pay more attention to the study of the ‘Belt and Road’ initiative and China's peaceful development, and to attract more talents to join GDUFE. In the discussion on the topic of China, experts highly appreciated China’s position as‘a builder of global peace, a contributor to global development and a defender of international order’described by President Xi Jinping. Participants believed that this would be of great benefit to world peace and development.

Professor Aylin Güney, Acting Dean of the Faculty of Human and Social Sciences at Yasar University, showed great gratitude to the organizers for their efforts in the preparation of the conference. She expected to have face-to-face communications next time. Dr. Hayriye Kahveci of the Middle East Technical University and other scholars deemed China as a trusted and good friend in terms of international relations and claimed that China’s investment in the Eastern Mediterranean would greatly enhance cooperation in infrastructure construction such as 5G communication networks, power grid interconnection, and high-speed railway networks.

Source: International Business School of Guangdong University of Finance & Economics