The is year?ˉs CES international conference, titled on Urbanization in China: Challenges and Strategies of Growth and Development, , had been co-organized with Xiamen University and the Municipal Xiamen Committee of the People Political Consultative Conference, . The conference took place June 26-28 2001 and was a complete success.

1. A hHigh academic standards. The conference was had been organized to meet every expectation of a high quality international conference. ed strictly according to international standards of high-level academic conferences (see the Conference Program on the Web). Prominent economists from around the world, including Nobel laureate Robert Fogel, had attended the conference (see conference photos on the Web).

2. An effort to raise at raising the quality of conference papers to that of journal articles. Near 100 quality papers had been selected for presentation. Most papers in English were selected anonymously at the proposal stage, and many of them after normal refereeing process will be published in a the special issue of Urban Studies devoted exclusively to the conference, and in the mini-symposia of Contemporary Economic Policy (CEP) and China Economic Review (CER).

3. Unprecedented Conference volumes. Four volumes of conference proceedings with exceptional quality had been produced prior to the conference, providing exceptional convenience for information and references to researchers, the media, as well as policy makers, and opportunities for potential collaboration among the conference participants (see conference photos on the Web).

4. An effort at collaboration. It is natural at international conferences for scholars from China to feel separated from those from overseas. At the Xiamen conference, every effort washad been made to enhance real collaboration and exchange. Domestic and overseas scholars stayed at the same hotel and participated in the same activities, enhancing the mutual understanding of different research perspectives and future collaboration.

5. Two special The panels. Two special panels werehad been held at the conference, one on China's Urbanization and Its Health-care System Reform and, the other, Urbanization with Chinese Characteristics. Both werehad been extremely well planned, well organized, and enthusiastically attended, which, according to many participants, were the best they had ever experienced.

In an effort to go beyond conference-level exchanges, the CES organized a fieldtrip research on the subject of China's urbanization, using Fujian province as a case study. The fieldtrip took place prior to (June 23-26 in southern Fujian province) and after the conference (July 2-July 5 in northern Fujian) (see photos on the Web).

The following CES members participated in the fieldtrip research:

Professor Aimin Chen, Indiana State University

Professor Yongjun Chen, Xiamen University

Professor T J Cheng, University of Macau

Professor Qihong Dong, Barat College

Professor Shuanglin Lin, University of Nebraska, Omaha

Professor Mingquan Liu, Hopkins-Nanjing Center

Professor Shunfeng Song, University of Nevada, Reno

Professor Guanzhong Wen, Trinity College

Professor Jiawen Yang, George Washington University

The fieldtrip washad been extremely well coordinated well cooperated by local governments. It has been most eye opening and educational to all participants and has enhanced their understanding of China's urbanization in general and the case of Fujian in particular. The group has subsequently studied related materials and researches on the subject and is working toward producing a summary report to be presented to the Fujian provincial government. and A a more detailed academic research will ensue subsequently.

The CES had also launched an unprecedented academic exchange before and during the Xiamen conference by organizing an expert group to give seminars/lectures at Xiamen University. The CES Expert Group includes the following CES members, and each phad prepared and delivered his/her lecture on according to the interested topics requested by Xiamen University:

Professor Chun Chang, the University of Minnesota, on Recent Trends in Corporate Finance Research.

Professor Aimin Chen, Indiana State University, on The Structure of American Industry and Its Development.

Professor William Jiang, San Hose State University, on High Tech Development and Venture Capital.

Professor Shuanglin Lin, University of Nebraska, Omaha, on Tax Reform in the US and Its Trend.

Professor Gordon Liu, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, on Economic Growth and Productivity of Health.

Professor Ding Lu, National University of Singapore, on The New Economy in the US and Its Development.

Dr. Zhi Wang, US Department of Agriculture, on "The Impact of China's WTO accession on economic and trade relationship across Taiwan Strait - A recursive dynamic general equilibrium analysis."

Professor Jason Yin, Seton Hall University, on Internet Strategy: the Current Development of eCommerce and Competitive Strategies.

Professor Kevin Zhang, Illinois State University, on The Impact of Globalization on the World Economy.

The one and half hour lectures/seminars followed by , each with one a half-hour Q&A session Qs and As out of total two hours, had been was extremely well delivered and received. Never before in history had CES had such intensive academic exchanges with an institution in China. These experts have not only contributed to improvinge internationalizing China's education system, but have also shown what CES is made of.

We have had another year of success with our Ford Teaching Program. We would like to extend our congratulations to Chun Chang (Chungqing University), Susan Yijun He (Southwestern University of Finance and Economics), Jenny Xiaoe Li (Yunnan University), Shunfeng Song (Xian Jaotong University), Yi Wen (Southwestern University of Finance and Economics), and Honglin Zhang (Xiamen University).

The CES has elected Shuanglin-Lin as President-elect (2002-2003) and Chong-en Bai, Ron Edwards, Zhigang Tao, Holly Wang, Changqi Wu, and Jiawen Yang as Directors for the year 2001-2002. We thank Guanzhong James Wen and other members of the Nomination and Election Committee for organizing the election.

Xiaobo Zhang reports that he has a productive year, having published Estimating Crop-Specific Production Technology in Chinese Agriculture: A Generalized Maximum Entropy Method,American Journal of Agricultural Economics 83 (2001): 378-388 (with Shenggen Fan); What Difference Do Polarisation Measures Make An Application To China, Journal of Development Studies 37(2001): 85-98 (with Ravi Kanbur) and The Demand for Food Grain in China: New Insights Into a Controversy, Agricultural and Resource Economics Review (Spring 2001) (with T. D. Mount and R. N. Boisvert).

Ding Lu was tenured at National University of Singapore as Associate Professor effective in January 2001. He was also re-elected as Honorary Secretary at the annual meeting of Economic Society of Singapore in March 2001.

Zhaohui Hong has taken a new position as Associate Vice President for Sponsored Research and Faculty Development at West Chester University of Pennsylvania, the second largest university of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education. His new phone number is 610-436-3310 (O) and new email is ghong@wcupa.edu.

Justin Yifu Lin has received the Sun Yefang Best Article Prize (2001) for his article "Dual Price System and Supply Response: Theory and Empirical Evidence from Chinese Agriculture," in Institution, Technology' and Agricultural Development in China, II (Peking University Press, 2000) and the Best Article Award (1998-2000) by Peking University Bulletin, for his article "Fiscal Decentralization and Economic Growth in China," (coauthored with Zhiqiang Liu). He was invited to deliver the Inaugural Lecture Development Strategy and Economic Convergence in May 2001 for the Annual D. Gale Johnson Lecture Series at the University of Chicago.

Multiple job openings at China-Europe International Business School (CEIBS), a premier business school located in Pudong, Shanghai. The school had 800 students and 4000 senior executive trainees in 2000. Compensation is competitive. Contact Professor John Hulpke, Head, Management Recruiting, CEIBS, 699 Hongfeng Rd. Jing Qiao, Pudong, Shanghai, 201206, PRC or via e-mail (hulpke@mail.ceibs.edu).

Out of the complexity of the situation and concerns of many members, the potential Taiwan visit was cancelled. Considerable research and consultations had been done to reach the decision. We were advised that some kind of self-protection might be necessary, and we also realize that it is more effective for our members to visit Taiwan at a time when everyone is worry free and can concentrate on his/her research project. Our host also thinks that the exchange to take place at a future time is more suitable for all concerned.

The cancellation, therefore, by no means implies that CES will discontinue the academic exchanges with Taiwan. As we all know, CES is an independent academic organization. We have been sticking to the principle in carrying out our activities. Our Taiwan visit will continue to take place in the future, maybe as soon as next June (if all conditions permit) so that we can still have the visit being coordinated with next year's international conference to be held in Hong Kong.

Those members who had applied to make the trip and those who were interested but did not apply for various reasons are encouraged to work a potential future visit into your schedule or career development plan.