The Chongqing Think Tank Forum opened at Southwest University of Political Science and Law on Dec 12, Chongqing Business reported.

Yang Qingyu, deputy director of the standing committee of the Chongqing People’s Congress, addresses the Chongqing Think Tank Forum on Dec 12 at Southwest University of Political Science and Law. [Photo by Zou Fei/Chongqing Business]

Scholars gather at Southwest University of Political Science and Law to attend the Chongqing Think Tank Forum on Dec 12. [Photo by Zou Fei/Chongqing Business]

Yang Weimin, deputy director of the Central Finance Leading Group, gives a lecture at the Chongqing Think Tank Forum on Dec 12. [Photo by Zou Fei/Chongqing Business]

Yang Qingyu, deputy director of the standing committee of the Chongqing People’s Congress, gave a lecture on development trends of Chongqing during the 13th Five Year Plan. Yang is a PhD and senior economist. He has been researching macroeconomics for many years and has published over 100 academic papers

Co-sponsored by the Chongqing Think Tank Development Research Society and the Chongqing Think Tank Institute, the forum will be held once a month from December and will have 1-2 famous experts giving lectures at each forum. The first forum was themed on Chongqing’s development during the 13th Five Year Plan (2016-2020).

The Chongqing Think Tank was founded in August 2013 and has been focusing on public policy research to provide a third party evaluation of the government’s major public policies. It is the first non-governmental think tank to participate in the 13th Five Year Plan. It is the only research institute among 18 central and west China provinces to successfully bid for the research program of the 13th Five Year Plan.