Leading Scholars Gather At Pku Shenzhen Forum To Discuss Ai And Economic Development

The 2025 PKU Shenzhen Forum, organized by Peking University HSBC Business School PHBS, was held March 30 at the Wuzhou Guest House in Futian District. Under the theme Building Consensus on Reform, Stimulating Innovation, the event welcomed over 1,000 participants, including scholars, policy experts, and industry leaders.

Founded in 2007 and expanded beyond campus in 2021, the Shenzhen Forum has become a platform for interdisciplinary dialogue across economics, technology, and public policy.

PHBS Founding Dean Hai Wen, also vice chairman of the Peking University Council, opened the forum with a speech emphasizing reform and innovation as essential drivers of progress. To deepen reform and constantly innovate has been the cornerstone of Chinas development over the past 40 years, he noted.

The forum featured a keynote by Professor Zhang Jin , vice president of Peking University and chancellor of its Shenzhen Graduate School, on the growing field of AI for Science. He highlighted the need to support digital research platforms and cultivate interdisciplinary talent capable of advancing scientific discovery through artificial intelligence.

Macroeconomic insights were shared by Li Yang , chairman of the National Institution for Finance Development, who noted steady performance early in the year but also challenges like external demand dependency and weak private investment. He stressed the need for proactive fiscal and monetary policies. while calling for more supportive fiscal and monetary policy to address domestic consumption and private investment.