Conference Overview

For over a generation, China has been implementing daring reforms and advancing firmly towards a modern market economy (mixed economy) based on the aspirations of the growing middle class. While still nominally an “emerging market” of the East, it occupies a special place as a G-2 country since the onset of this Great Recession globally. As we all are in the same "Great Recession" boat of the global economy, this global-based Conference at the heart (Wuhan)of the “Middle Kingdom” of the Chinese nation focuses on collaborative and interactive roles of governments and transnational corporations (TNCs) in the modern social and economic development of China and emerging markets in general. In particular, China's rapid integration into the global economy has created tremendous and ill-understood new opportunities for all the global economy and institutional stakeholders. Featuring top experts, this conference, joint organized by the School of Economics and Management, Wuhan University in China, and Ottawa United Learning Academy in Canada, offers a unique forum for business, government and academia leaders and analysts to discuss and practically assess the existing opportunities and how to optimally advance them in the near future. 

Proposed Advisory  

• Vale Columbia Center on Sustainable International Investment, Columbia University, USA
• European Working Group on Transnational Corporations, Germany
• Investment Analysis Center, United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, Switzerland
• Economic Research and Policy Analysis, Industry Canada
• Center for Transnationals’ Studies, Nankai University, China
• Research Center on Transnational Corporations, MOFCOM, P. R. China

Special Advisers (to be invited) 

• Dr. Jiyong Chen, Wuhan University, China
• Dr. Karl Sauvant, Columbia University, USA
• Dr. Yongding Yu, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, China
• Dr. Suisheng (Sam) Zhao, University of Denver, USA
• Dr. Yongnian Zheng, National University of Singapore 

Joint Organizers 

• School of Economics and Management, Wuhan University, China
• Transnational Corporations Review, Ottawa United Learning Academy, Canada

Conference Secretariat  

• DANG, Hugh, Coordinator of the Conference Secretariat, Canada
• LIU, Xueyuan, Acting Secretariat General, School of Economics and Management, Wuhan University
• TANG, Jianmin, Adviser on the conference, Policy Branch, Industry Canada
• WU, Xianming, Secretariat General, School of Economics and Management, Wuhan University
• YANG, Yanlin, Conference Adviser, Wuhan University
• YUAN, Gloria, Coordinator of the Conference project in overseas
• ZHAO, Qiwei, Conference Manager, School of Economics and Management, Wuhan University

Proposed Themes 

• Transnational corporations in emerging economies (BRICs)
• Transnational corporations-related Trade among North America, Europe and China
• Information technology and eBusiness in a global context
• Middle China’s Foreign investment and Developmental Cooperation

Date, Venue, Participants & Languages 

• Conference Dates: October 28 (Sunday)-30 (Tuesday), 2012
• Venue: Wuhan, China; Participants: 100 people in plan
• Languages: English & Chinese  

Publications of the Conference  

All accepted papers will be published by Transnational Corporations Review (TNCR) in English and Chinese as a special collection, and requested for the relevant indexes. Excellent papers will be selected by the conference academic committee and recommended to be published in one or two regular issues with SSCI indexing.  

Important Dates to Remember 

• Abstract submission: May 31, 2012
• Paper submission: October 15, 2012
• Conference Dates: November 19 - 23, 2012

For Chinese registrations and conference information with questions, please contact: The School of Economics and Management, Wuhan University (attn: Professor Xueyuan Liu) at email: x.liu@whu.edu.cn; for the paper submissions and conference information with questions overseas, please contact Professor Jennifer Ma) at Ottawa United Learning Academy at tncr.special@gmail.com and/or sino@tnc-online.org.