The city of Jinan, capital of Shandong province, played host to the 8th Biennale Conference of the Hong Kong Economic Association, at Shandong University, Dec 13-14, which had nearly 100 scholars and experts from the US, UK, Australia, Singapore and elsewhere and from the US' Princeton University, UK's Oxford and the Chinese University of Hong Kong, taking part in serious discussions on China's economic development.

Avinash Dixit, of Princeton University, addressing Economic Association conference, Dec 13-14. [Photo by Wang Qian/chinadaily.com.cn]

Sponsors of the two-day event, which had 26 rounds of discussions, were Shandong University and the HK association. In addition to China's economy, they covered trade and foreign direct investment, network economics, the real estate market and property rights and regulations.

Avinash Dixit, professor of economics at Princeton University, addressed the opening ceremony with a talk on "How to use commercial institutions to fight corruption", where he said that government needs to combine punishment with incentive, to resist commercial corruption.

In commenting on the conference, Lin Ping, president of the HK association, said it helps increase communications between economists from around the world and gives foreign experts a better understanding of China's economic development.

Biennale HK Economics Association conference, at Shandong University, Dec 13-14. [Photo by Wang Qian/chinadaily.com.cn]

Shandong University has emphasized international exchanges and considers the conference a typical example of its cooperation with foreign universities, according to Cao Shengyuan, its accountant. Cao added that he hoped people at the conference, in discussing economic matters of common interest, could help support China's reforms.

Wang Qian contributed to the story

http://shandong.chinadaily.com.cn/e/2014-12/15/content_19125793.htm