The 12th Annual China Goes Global Conference was grandly held in Shanghai from June 18 to 20, 2018. The conference this year is co-hosted by CGA, emlyon business school and East China Normal University. In the theme of The Belt and Road Initiative - Global Perspective, the conference received more than 60 papers from nearly 20 countries and attracted hundreds of famous scholars, corporate leaders, foreign envoys and international business experts to discuss the Belt and Road Initiative in global perspective and the challenges and opportunities faced by Chinese enterprises in the course of globalization.

At the forum on the morning of June 19, Professor Ren Youqun, Executive Vice Chairman of the University Council and Vice president of East China Normal University and Dean of the Belt and Road Initiative and Global Development Institute (ECNU), Dr. Ilan Alon, President of China Globalization Association (CGA), and Professor William Hua Wang, Conference Chair and Associate Dean of emlyon business school, gave ebullient welcoming remarks.

Mr. Shiyu Wang, Chairman of Fargo Fortune Capital and representative of entrepreneurs, held that in 2018, the drastic changes in geopolitics and the world economic situation will accelerate China's globalization. Xueliang Yang, Vice President of Geely Automobile Group, talked about the Group's path of internationalization on the dimensions of overseas M&A, branding, technological integration, and system enhancement. Junjie Hong, representative of scholars and Dean of School of International Trade and Economics of the University of International Business and Economics, discussed the decisive factors for FDI by emerging economies and stressed the important role of institution. Zhigang Yuan, Director of Academic Committee of Faculty of Economics & Management of East China Normal University and Visiting Professor of emlyon business school, elaborated on the new changes in global industrial chain and the current status and strategic direction of Chinese industry around the topic of "Belt and Road Initiative and the Linkage between East and West of Global Industry Chain". He pointed out that the jump of China's position in the global industrial chain should be premised on "east-west linkage". In other words, it should become a bond of global industrial chain between the emerging markets to its west (e.g. resource-rich countries and countries with labor-intensive industries) and the developed economies to its east (service-oriented economies).

During the Round Table Discussion, Dr. Ilan Alon, President of CGA, Professor William Hua Wang, Associate Dean of emlyon business school, Shiyu Wang, Chairman of Fargo Fortune Capital and Xiaojun Luo, Co-founder & Vice President of Morningwhistle Group, deeply exchanged their views on the "Globalization of Chinese Companies at the Context of Belt and Road Initiative".

▲Panelists ( from left to right ): Mr. Xiaojun Luo, Mr. Shiyu Wang, Professor William Hua Wang and Dr. Ilan Alon

Later emlyon business school and National Business Daily officially launched the joint research project of "White Paper of Contributions by Chinese Enterprises in the Context of Belt and Road Initiative". The project will summarize Chinese enterprises' contribution to global economic growth within the framework of Belt and Road Initiative and their experience in overseas operation. The White Paper will advocate the right international values and outlook on benefits, commend excellent enterprises, and many of its evaluation indicators are of great significance. emlyon business school and National Business Daily will work with CGA and serve as the most important platform for exchange and launch.

▲Professor William Hua Wang and Ms. Lei Ping launched the research project of "White Paper of Contributions by Chinese Enterprises in the Context of Belt and Road Initiative".

During the conference, the attendees visited Fosun Group, an excellent example of the Belt and Road Initiative, where Chen Bo, assistant to the President of Fosun Group and Vice President of Fosun Holiday, introduced the Group's efforts of globalization, and Chen Xin, Managing Director of the Department of Business Expansion and Product Innovation, elaborated on Fosun's global layout, post-investment management and member system starting with its C2M.

▲Company visit to Fosun Group

From the afternoon of June 19, the host arranged a number of parallel sessions for in-depth discussions of academic results on topics such as Belt and Road Initiative and Geopolitics, Innovation, China-Africa, and China-Other Countries/Regions, aiming to fully and thoroughly discuss the Belt and Road Initiative from the political, commercial and academic point of view.

The participation of a number of colleges and think tanks, including Seattle University, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, University of Nottingham and University of Southern Denmark, made the conference a great stage for international think tanks and scholars to exchange opinions.

It is learnt that CGA (China Goes Global Association), one of the important platforms for the study and exchange of China's globalization, was co-founded by famous colleges such as the Harvard Kennedy School, Rollins College, Jacobs University and emlyon business school. As one of the founding members, emlyon business school began to pay attention to the key topic of "China Goes Global" as early as 2006 and is committed to building the bridge between the academic circle and enterprises.