From August 29 to 30, the 2026 China Spatial Economics Annual Conference and Seventh Forum of Chinese Regional Economists took place at Yunnan Minzu University. The event was jointly organized by the Center for Industrial and Regional Development at Sun Yat-sen University, the Spatial Economics Committee of the Regional Science Association of China, and CESD, Nankai University. Under the theme ‘Innovation in China’s Spatial Economy in the Age of Intelligence,’ CESD Dean Professor Liu Binglian, regional economics faculty member Professor Zhou Mi, and postdoctoral researcher Fan Xin participated in academic exchanges on the intelligent economy and innovative approaches to regional economics.

At the opening ceremony, Professor Liu Binglian delivered remarks on behalf of the organizing institutions. Reviewing the development of the Forum of Chinese Regional Economists, he emphasized that regional economics in the age of the intelligent economy should respond actively to emerging trends in spatial restructuring, industrial reorganization, and increasingly networked regional connections. He called for original theoretical propositions grounded in Chinese practice and for innovation in the discipline’s research subjects, theoretical frameworks, and analytical methods.

Professor Zhou Mi delivered a keynote address entitled ‘Integration of the Real and Digital Economies and the Development of New Quality Productive Forces in Light of Local Conditions.’ Focusing on deeper integration of the real and digital economies, she argued that regions should build on their resource endowments, industrial foundations, and application scenarios to explore differentiated, cluster-based, and networked pathways for developing new quality productive forces.

At the parallel session on ‘The Digital Economy, Artificial Intelligence, and Financial Technology,’ postdoctoral researcher Fan Xin presented the paper ‘Bridging Distances through Computing Infrastructure and Cross-Regional Technological Innovation by Firms.’ Following expert review, the paper received a First Prize for Outstanding Papers at the 2026 China Spatial Economics Annual Conference.

The event marked the first close collaboration between the China Spatial Economics Annual Conference and the Forum of Chinese Regional Economists. It brought together experts from across the country for academic exchange and encouraged mutual learning across specialized research fields. CESD’s participation showcased its latest research in regional economics, the intelligent economy, and spatial economics.