On September 3, 2026, the 10th China Forum on Borderland Economic Opening-Up and Development was held in Yanji, Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture, Jilin Province. Under the theme of “Promoting the High-Quality Development of Borderland Economies and Accelerating the Building of China’s Independent Knowledge System of Borderland Economics,” the forum brought together more than 130 participants, including officials from relevant central ministries and commissions and from borderland provinces and regions, as well as experts and scholars in related fields, to jointly explore new pathways for the opening-up and development of borderland economies in the new era.

The forum was co-hosted by Guangxi University (GXU) and Yanbian University, and organized by the China Frontier Economic Research Institute of GXU, the China–ASEAN School of Economics of GXU, the Institute of Borderland Studies (Vitalizing Border Areas and Enriching the People) of Yanbian University, the School of Economics and Management of Yanbian University, the School of Economics of University of International Business and Economics (UIBE), and the University Think Tank Alliance for Borderland Economics, among others.

At the opening ceremony, speeches were delivered by the following guest representatives: Qian Keming, Member of the Standing Committee of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), Vice Chairman of the CPPCC National Committee’s Subcommittee on Education, Science, Health and Sports, Chairman of the National Steering Committee for Postgraduate Education in the Professional Degree of International Business, and former Vice Minister of Commerce; Wang Naixue, Vice Chairman of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region Committee of the CPPCC and Member of its Party Leadership Group; Gao Yuanyuan, President of the China Association for International Economic Cooperation; and Zheng Quan, Member of the Party Leadership Group of the People’s Government of Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture and Vice Governor of the Prefecture. Xu Huarui, Secretary of the CPC Guangxi University Committee, and Liu Yan, Member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Committee of Yanbian University and Vice President, delivered speeches on behalf of the host institutions.

Qian Keming noted that borderland regions are important gateways for China’s opening-up. Having run for ten sessions, the forum has become a major platform for academic exchange and policy consultation in China’s borderland economics research. He highly commended the China Frontier Economic Research Institute of GXU for its valuable explorations in building the think tank alliance, developing the big database of borderland economics, conducting household surveys in borderland areas, and publishing the Annual Report on China’s Borderland Economic Development. He expressed the hope that the experts and scholars present would demonstrate academic commitment in governing and developing the borderlands, contribute academic wisdom to thriving industries and enriching borderland residents, and cultivate deep academic dedication to serving people’s livelihoods.

Wang Naixue said that the forum is of great theoretical value and practical significance. He expressed the expectation that it would highlight theoretical innovation and achieve new breakthroughs in building China’s independent knowledge system of borderland economics; adhere to a problem-oriented approach and serve the high-quality development of borderland regions with high-quality research; and deepen collaboration, turning the brand advantages accumulated over ten sessions into development advantages for the borderland research community.

Gao Yuanyuan proposed deepening the synergy among universities, academic associations and think tanks, with a focus on the port economy, cross-border industrial and supply chains, and institutional innovation, and strengthening strategic policy advice and cross-regional exchanges to better serve the high-quality development of borderland regions.

Zheng Quan noted that Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture, located at the junction of China, Russia and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, serves as a gateway of opening-up in Northeast Asia. Relying on the Hunchun Demonstration Zone for Marine Economy Development and comprehensive bonded zones, the prefecture is promoting the transformation from a “corridor economy” to a “port economy”. He hoped the forum would offer insights and suggestions for the development of Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture.

Xu Huarui introduced GXU’s educational features centered on “frontier ethnic groups”. He said the university would continue to support the institute in deepening synergy and collaboration, building a strong think tank highland for borderland development, accelerating the construction of an independent theoretical system of borderland studies, and, in close alignment with talent cultivation and borderland prosperity, nurturing a new generation of builders for the borderland regions.

Liu Yan said that Yanbian University, deeply rooted in the borderland, will further deepen cooperation, strengthen research on major issues, and serve the prosperity and stability of borderland regions.

Li Guanghui, Dean of the China Frontier Economic Research Institute of GXU, Vice President of the China Association for International Economic Cooperation and Director of its Borderland Economics Committee, and Zhang Jie, Executive Dean of the Institute of Area and Country Studies of Yanbian University, delivered keynote reports respectively, sharing forward-looking insights on topics such as theoretical innovation in borderland economics, regional cooperation in Northeast Asia, and opening-up along border areas.

Six experts and scholars — Qu Weixi, Zhang Zhiming, Sang Baichuan, Li Junqing, Zhang Xufeng and Sun Yong — delivered thematic reports respectively, sharing their latest research findings on high-level opening-up during the 15th Five-Year Plan period, cross-border economic cooperation, multinational corporations’ investment in China, borderland governance, port supply chain development, and the theoretical construction of borderland economics.

Parallel sub-forums featured in-depth exchanges and discussions on “Cultivating New Quality Productive Forces and Building a Modern Industrial System in Borderland Regions”, “Institutional Opening Up of Borderland Economies and Integration into the Unified National Market”, “Constructing the Theoretical System of Borderland Economics and the Practice of Vitalizing Border Areas and Enriching Residents”, and “Forging a Strong Sense of Community for the Chinese Nation and Ethnic Unity and Progress in Borderland Regions”, offering suggestions for promoting high-quality development of borderland economies.

During the forum, the 2026 Annual Report on China’s Borderland Economic Opening-Up and Development, edited by Li Guanghui, was released, and a handover ceremony for the 11th China Forum on Borderland Economic Opening-Up and Development was held.

At the closing ceremony, Tang Zhihua, Deputy Secretary of the CPC Guangxi University Committee, noted that the forum was high in standard, broad in coverage and solid in outcomes, providing valuable ideas and practical pathways for the modernization of borderland governance and the development of an open economy in the new era.

Since its inception, the China Forum on Borderland Economic Opening-Up and Development has been held for ten sessions and has gradually become one of the most influential flagship forums in China for promoting borderland economic development. Since 2017, the forum has been successively held in Beijing and various borderland provinces and regions, with the successive release of the Annual Report on China’s Borderland Economic Opening-Up and Development. It has built a national collaborative network for borderland economic research, established a two-way communication bridge for policy implementation, and deepened intellectual exchanges on cross-border regional cooperation.