Bulletin Number Two 1987

Conference on China's SEZs and Open Policy: Development and Prospects A conference on 'China's Special Economic Zones and Open Policy: Development and Prospects', organ ized by the Centre for Contemporary Asian Studies and partly sponsored by the China Merchants Steam Navigation Co. Ltd .， Hong Kong, was held at the Cho Yiu Conference Hall from 2nd to 4th April, 1987. The Conference was opened by Dr. Ma Lin, the Vice- Chancellor, and Chairmen of the various sessions included Professor R.Y.W. Kwok, Professor Ambrose King, Professor E.K.Y. Chen, Professor T.B. Lin , Dr. Y.C. Jao ， Dr. C.K. Leung, Dr. S.K. Lau, Dr. P.N.S. Lee and Dr. K.S. Liao. Dr. K.Y. Wong, coordinator of the research programme on China's Open Policy and Special Economic Zones and Chairman of the organizing committee, chaired the closing session. About fifty specialists and scholars took part in the three-day Conference,including ten participants from mainland China. The twenty-six papers pre sented examined issues of the open policy and special economic zones from a variety of viewpoints, and the themes of the sessions fell into the following areas: (1) issues of planning, particularly the uncertainty and fluidity of the planning environment in the special economic zones and the implications of dependence on outside capital for development, and regional planning for coordinated and integrated development in the South China region; (2) effects and implications of the open policy on welfare provision and on the spatial distribution of well-being in urban China; (3) social changes and social problems as a result of the open policy; (4) foreign direct investment andmanage ment issues in special economic zone enterprises; (5) fiscal policy and foreign exchange control in China; (6) economic reform, changes in the structure of pro duction and the exploitation of land resources in the special economic zones; (7) electricity supply and port development; (8) urbanization and urban struc ture; and (9) critique of China's special economic zone policy and models of development. The papers presented were almost equally divided between micro- level analyses which dealt with issues and problems in specific economic development zones and open cities, and macro-level approaches which examined the implications of the open policy on the whole country. Fruitful academic exchange has been achieved especially between scholars from China on the one hand and local and overseas participants on the other who often held quite different concepts and view points on various issues. At the closing session, many of the participants expressed the need for continual dialogue and cooperation between different institu tions in China and Hong Kong which have been actively engaged in China research, and for further conferences to be held in various places. Proceedings of the Conference will be published in due course. 一 K. Y. Wong 14 NEWS