About ASCNK

Established in 1919, Nankai University is a comprehensive university with international fame. It is also the alma mater of the beloved late Premier Zhou En Lai. As one of the best example of private institutions of higher learning in modern Chinese history of education, Nankai has played a unique and pioneering role, and developed its character by offering high standard of teaching, laying equal stress on both science and social sciences, and bringing the students up with a solid and sound foundation in study. The economic discipline of Nankai University, for instance, has a long history as well as a well-staffed faculty, which is among the strongest of all the domestic universities in China. 

Relying on the economic research organs of Nankai University and jointly supported by Ministry of Education, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Ministry of Commerce, APEC Study Center of Nankai University (ASCNK) was directly ratified by Ministry of Education and inaugurated in March 1995，as a follow-up to the then APEC Leader's Education Initiative (ALEI). ASCNK's primary mission is to conduct and coordinate APEC-related studies in China, provide timely consulting services for the government, create close cooperation in the policymaking, business and academic communities, and carry out academic exchanges with APEC study institutions of other APEC members. Its activities include undertaking research projects, providing support for teaching about APEC, organizing international conferences, colloquia and policy briefings, and building up information bank on APEC and APEC-related studies.

In past years, ASCNK has put forth much effort to improve the efficiency in organization and coordination of nation-wide research network by way of inviting senior government officials to be part-time professor or advisor, and periodically holding domestic and international seminars and symposiums. In this way, the Center has been able to ensure the high quality of the research outcomes on the one hand, and to widen the influence of the APEC study around China on the other hand. In view of its rich accomplishments obtained in the past, ASCNK won its competitive entry, among the first group of fifteen Chinese research institutions, into the rank of Key Research Institutes in Social Science in universities of China in 1999.

APEC, short for Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, is the premier forum for facilitating economic growth, cooperation, trade and investment in the Asia-Pacific region. Lining the Pacific Rim, APEC's twenty-one member economies represent a third of the world's population, over half of the world's annual output and half of total world trade. In the past few years, APEC, with the joint efforts of APEC member economies, has not only made substantial progress on Trade and Investment Liberalization and Facilitation (TILF) but also great achievements in the aspect of Economic and Technical Cooperation (ECOTECH). APEC Agenda for Science and Technology Industry Cooperation into the 21st Century began to be executed in 1998. The APEC High Level Meeting on Human Capacity Building was held in Beijing on 15-16 May 2001. In the same year, 16 APEC member economies submitted their ECOTECH Individual Action Plans (EAPs) focusing on the theme of HRD. On the 9th APEC Economic Leaders meeting convened in Shanghai in October 2001, the then President Jiang Zemin reaffirmed the importance of human capacity building to the future economic development of APEC members in his address. He called for the engagement of all key stakeholders in the region and, in particular, the establishment of the partnership of government, business, academic and education institutions for this purpose. In this connection, as one of the achievements of "APEC China Year" and a significant follow-up action in response to APEC economic leaders' initiative, China APEC Academy was established in April 2002, which is immediately based upon the APEC Study Center of Nankai University. It marked a milestone in ASCNK's development. It is confidently believed that, in the coming years, the new institution will play much more important role in promoting the human capacity building of China, and continue its best efforts in making definite contribution to the ECOTECH development of APEC and fulfillment of the common goals of APEC as well.