China Institute for Innovation and Development Strategy
China Institute for Innovation and Development Strategy is a research and policy institute based in Beijing, China. Founded by Zheng Bijian and Lu Yongxiang in 2010, CIIDS connects renowned Chinese political figures, diplomats, military scholars, economists, public figures, and academics in order to research and strategize the best methods of innovation and development for China in the 21st century. According to its website, CIIDS mission is to “explore China’s path to peaceful rise or peaceful development”. Specifically, CIIDS’ studies concentrate on scientific and technological innovation, economic development, social governance, and cultural advancement.
Mission and activities
CIIDS is committed to providing strategic advice to government officials through academic and scientific research. It develops strategies for social governance, technology, and military institutions. It fulfills its mission through several avenues including hosting events like the Technology Expo, the 2nd U.S.-China Strategic Forum on Clean Energy Cooperation, and the China Sciences and Humanities Forum where it gathers experts and political figures to discuss strategy and development. CIIDS’ research focuses on developing strategy for China’s peaceful rise on the international stage, to build interest for convergence and community benefit, to govern China in the 21st century, to strategize how China can become a world-class cyber power, and how China can innovate and develop relationships in both the East and West. At the 2013 Understanding China Conference, participants had the opportunity to gain a firsthand glimpse into the mindset of China’s new leadership during a rare, wide-ranging discussion with Xi Jinping, General Secretary of the Communist Party of China at the Great Hall of the People in early November on the eve of the recent Third Plenum of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party, which announced a broad array of reforms, e.g.,including: Party general secretary Xi Jinping announced plans and policies to ending labor camps, easing the one-child policy, and opening up new markets in China to the world. The 2015 Understanding China Conference announced the “Belt and Road” policy and that China would host the G20 Summit in 2016 at Huangzhou. Additional speeches focused on China’s international standing and how Chinese-style government could implement its own blend of democracy and ethical government.
Additional Events
Technology Expo - sponsored by the CIIDS and co-organized by the Shanghai Institute for Reform, Innovation & Development Strategy, the expo provides a platform and athletic arena for domestic and foreign products, technologies, and ideas. The 2nd U.S.-China Strategic Forum on Clean Energy Cooperation - co-hosted by CIIDS and the Brookings Institution, according to its website the forum believes that: "The United States and China can advance the prospect of achieving climate-friendly economic growth if we can find pragmatic solutions to our societies’ demand for clean energy." China Sciences and Humanities Forum - created by Lu Yongxiang and Zheng Bijian, the forum is co-hosted by the Graduate University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, the Higher Education Press, and CIIDS. The event invites senior Chinese government officials, foreign political leaders, and scholars to conduct extensive academic discussions about politics, science, technology, economics, and diplomacy.
