The Research Department of Foreign Economic Relations conducts research on foreign trade, international finance and international capital flow. The department also studies: the economies of Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan and their ties with the mainland economy; regional economic cooperation and the multilateral trade system; the dynamics and development trends of the world economy; and the development policies and experiences of major economies. It puts forward proposals on policy and strategy for China’s reform and opening-up. Over the years, the department has conducted many research projects concerning China’s foreign economic policies and institutional reforms, making contributions in promoting reforms in China’s foreign economic fields and thus becoming one of China’s most influential think tanks in foreign economic policy research.

In close cooperation with government agencies and other research institutions, the department has organized and coordinated a number of major trans-departmental joint research projects. The department has conducted or is conducting a number of research projects jointly with its counterparts in Korea, Japan, the UK, the US, Singapore, Russia and India. It also works closely with such international organizations as the World Bank, UNDP and Asian Development Bank. Close and frequent information exchange with local governments, large and medium-sized enterprises, and trade associations has provided the department’s macro-economic policy research with a solid base of micro-data.

The Database for Chinese Industries, Foreign Trade and Foreign Investment, developed by the department, is utilized for analyzing and forecasting the economic impact of imports, exports and foreign investments on various industries. The database is also useful for analyzing economic structures and the degree of openness and economic performance in specific regions or sectors. The main research fields of the department include:

Opening-up strategy: Mid- and long-term planning and policy for opening-up

Goods trade: Trade development and reform; trade remediation; trade facilitation; processing trade policies

Service trade: Development and market opening-up of China’s service trade; potential and environment for service export

Cross-border investment: Analysis of operations of foreign-invested enterprises; policies for utilizing foreign investment and policies for overseas investment

International finance: Balance of payment; exchange rates; regional monetary and financial cooperation

Intellectual property rights (IPR): IPR protection; policies for technical innovation

Policies for regional opening-up: Opening-up policies for coastal, border and inland regions; policies for special economic areas; the relationship between the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan

Regional economic cooperation: Regional economic cooperation between the ASEAN and China, Japan and Korea; prospects for regional economic integration in East Asia and Pan-Asia

Bilateral trade and economic cooperation: Bilateral trade and economic relations between China-USA, China-EU, China-Japan, China-Russia, China-India and China-Korea

Multilateral trade system: Multilateral trade regime and China’s strategy

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