On October 9^th, Song Zexing Forum of Liaoning University was held at Puhe campus. As a well-known economist, national distinguished professor, Professor YAO Shujie, also dean of LI Anmin Institute of Economic Research of Liaoning University, delivered an academic lecture and shared his views over regional inequality and diverging clubs of contemporary China. Professor YU Miaojie, dean of Economics Department, also the deputy secretary of the CPC Committee and president of Liaoning University attended the forum and presented Song Zexing Forum commemorative certificate to Professor YAO Shujie.                                                                         

The academic lecture, based on Professor YAO’s article On Regional Inequality and Diverging Clubs:A Case Study of Contemporary China, which was published on Journal of Comparative Economics（2001）and won the 9th Pei-kang Chang Development Economics Excellence Achievement Prize in 2022, innovatively created theoretical model of diverging clubs, and focused on the theory and practice of regional inequality since the reform and opening-up policy.

Professor YAO expounded remarkable achievements China has made since the launch of the reform and opening up and presented an in-depth analysis over regional inequality. He utilized transprovincial long-term data (1978-1997) to verify and provided significant theoretical explanation on understanding the convergence and divergence of per capita output in different regions across the country. He also stressed efforts should be made to solve the difficult situation of regional inequality in inland areas by establishing economic development center, accelerating infrastructure construction and boost opening-up. In the lecture, Professor YAO put forward innovative theories, such as developing endogenous growth environment, striving over middle-income trap, which offered theoretical basis and counter-measures toward grand western development program, revitalization of Northeast China and strategy for the rise of Central China. As well, the theories had theoretical and practical significance for continued promotion of coordinated development of regional economy in China.

Professor XIE Di, deputy dean of Faculty of Economics made comments after the lecture, expressing that professionals in Economics got enlightened in focusing on historical facts and data and telling China stories well.

Hosted by Economics Department of Liaoning University, the lecture was simultaneously livestreamed on Tencent, Weibo and VZAN.