6th All India Conference of China Studies (AICCS) begins at IIM Kozhikode
Report by India Education bureau, Kozhikode: Indian Institute of Management Kozhikode (IIMK) today announced the inauguration of 6th All India Conference of China Studies (AICCS).The conference is hosted by the institute in collaboration with the Institute of Chinese Studies, New Delhi from December 12-14, 2013. The conference was inaugurated by Mr. Ashok Kantha, Ministry of External Affairs & Ambassador-Designate to the People’s Republic of China, Prof. Debashis Chatterjee, Director, Indian Institute of Management Kozhikode, Prof. Alka Acharya, Director, Institute of Chinese Studies & Convenor of the Conference and Prof. Manoranjan Mohanty, Chairman, Institute of Chinese Studies (ICS).
Speaking on the occasion, Prof. Debashis Chatterjee, Director, Indian Institute of Management Kozhikode, said “China’s self-description of itself as ‘socialism with Chinese characteristics’ has its contradictions but there is no denying the fact it has served the cause of China’s economic and social change remarkably and for that reason alone it deserves our serious attention. In this sense the theme of the sixth All India Conference of China studies is quite aptly summed up as ‘Reforms, Management and Social Transformation in China’.”
He further added, “Emerging economies such as China and India have borrowed all they can by way of technology and resources and they now need to start innovating and inventing on their own. The richer our countries get, the tougher the growth challenge and the more is the need for innovation and experimentation.”
Prof. Manoranjan Mohanty, Chairman, Institute of Chinese Studies (ICS), emphasized the need for understanding and learning the strengths of China and India without getting swayed away by emotions, creating a shining place of new thought.
Prof. Alka Acharya, Director, Institute of Chinese Studies & Convenor of the Conference, highlighted the convergence and similarities of the two nations and to build bridges not only in political space but also in the cultural, social and economic spheres.
The annual All India Conference of China Studies (AICCS) is a flagship event of the Institute of China Studies (ICS), New Delhi which is partially funded by the Indian Council of Social Research. Its principal objective is to spread interest and strengthen research in China and East Asian Studies in India. This conference will provide a glimpse of the current research on China and on China-India comparative studies in India across a range of disciplines from history to culture, from internal Chinese political developments to Chinese foreign policy. The Conference is attended by over 60 participants, with over 50 papers lined up for presentation. The event is slated to provide the delegates a knowledge sharing platform to understand the role of economic reforms in bringing economic well being in China and important lessons it holds for the developing world. The best papers presented in the conference will be selected for publication in the ICS journal, China Report, which will receive even wider dissemination nationally and internationally.
Delivering the keynote address, Mr. Ashok Kantha, Ministry of External Affairs & Ambassador-Designate to the People’s Republic of China stated the focus of Chinese government on social equity and on extending prosperity across the board in order to deal with the complexities of Chinese society that have resulted from unbridled economic growth in the past few decades. He further highlighted as to how China’s socialist market economy hold lessons for democratic developing countries like India.
He further highlighted that, “China’s contribution to the transformation of the society is improvisation. Improvisation being the norm, the path that China was treading a road, less taken by others.”
China has made rapid economic progress at a speed unprecedented in world history since the introduction of social reforms in 1978 and is projected to become the world’s largest economy by 2029. In this regard the theme of the conference is, ‘Reforms, Management and Social Transformation’. In addition to this special theme animating the conference, it will also have sessions that are devoted to topics like review of the field of China Studies in India across multiple disciplines including society, economy, politics and foreign policy, Sino Indian bilateral economic relations and the research work of young, emerging scholars in East Asian Studies across disciplines.
The AICCS is held once every year, in an Indian academic institution where research and teaching on China Studies are conducted. The conference has three principal parts: an examination of the state of the field of China Studies in the country, a special theme for the conference and, a focus on the latest work of MPhil/PhD scholars.