Wang Weiguang, president of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) met with Dr. Schwab, Executive Chairman of the World Economic Forum.

Wang Weiguang first extended a warm welcome to Dr. Schwab and his party and appreciation for WEF’s long-term cooperation with CASS. Wang mentioned his attendance with the experts of CASS for the 2013 Summer Davos Annual Meeting in Dalian last September, on which he signed a memorandum of cooperation with Dr. Schwab.

This January, he led the delegation of CASS experts to the Chinese seminar of the Winter Annual Meeting in Davos, Switzerland. Through an in-depth discussion on China’s further reforms and development trends, the participants improved their understandings of China’s current situation in a sound and objective way. That meeting was a great success.

Wang Weiguang was delighted to meet Dr. Schwab again four months later and wished to deepen the exchanges and cooperation of the two sides in related fields.

Dr. Schwab said that as early as 1979, CASS had sent a delegation to the Davos Forum (then the European Management Forum). This delegation was the first Chinese delegation invited and received by WEF, and also the beginning of WEF’s cooperation with China.

This year marks the 35th anniversary of cooperation between WEF and CASS. Dr. Schwab said he was so happy with, and proud of, the deepening cooperation of the two sides over the past 35 years and the tremendous achievements of China since 1979.

He said this year’s Summer Davos would be held in Tianjin from September 10 to 12, for which he hoped president Wang Weiguang and the experts from CASS could present and address keynote speeches. Wang made an active response that he was looking forward to the next meeting with Dr. Schwab in Tianjin. Dr. Schwab also expressed gratitude to CASS’s recommendation of outstanding scholars as the member candidates of the Global Agenda Council.

They also exchanged their opinions over topics concerning both parties in China’s current social and economic development.

The director of the Institute for Urban and Environmental Studies – Pan Jiahua, the director and deputy director of the Bureau of International Cooperation – Wang Lei and Zhou Yunfan were also present.

Edited by Wang Yifei and Brian Salter