The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) and the University of California, San Diego (UC San Diego) have established a Joint Laboratory on the Chinese Economy. The inaugural symposium and Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signing ceremony took place on December 8, 2023.

Many distinguished figures from both universities were invited to officiate the MOU signing ceremony: CUHK Vice Chancellor & President Rocky Tuan, UC San Diego Chancellor Pradeep Khosla, UC San Diego GPS Dean Caroline Freund, and CUHK Faculty of Social Science Dean Chi-yue Chiu. The ceremony formalised the establishment of the Joint Laboratory on Chinese Economy, witnessed by the co-directors of the Joint Laboratory, Ying Bai, CUHK Department of Economics, and Ruixue Jia, UC San Diego GPS, and a list of honourable guests.

The symposium featured sessions on the changing Chinese economy and dynamics in the political economy. Scholars from both universities presented their research, highlighting topics such as industrial policy, productivity growth, trade policy, and knowledge suppression.

The Joint Laboratory aims to facilitate the exchange of ideas and mentor a new generation of scholars in the field. Establishing the Joint Laboratory further strengthens both institutions’ leading position in Chinese economic research.