The innovative development of philosophy and social sciences is expected to provide stronger theoretical support for high-standard opening-up and high-quality development, as the country advances institutional opening-up amid a changing global economic landscape, scholars said.

They made the remarks at a forum on Wednesday jointly hosted by the University of International Business and Economics and the Social Sciences Academic Press, with discussions centering on theoretical innovation in philosophy and social sciences in the context of Chinese modernization.

Zhao Zhongxiu, president of UIBE, said the university, China's first foreign trade-focused higher education institution after the founding of the People's Republic of China, has long been committed to serving the country's opening-up drive.

Looking ahead, Zhao said UIBE will further deepen research on opening-up and accelerate efforts to develop philosophy and social sciences with Chinese characteristics.

"We will contribute more UIBE wisdom and strength to China's modernization drive," Zhao said.

At the theoretical level, Luo Rong, director of the Institute of International Economics at the Chinese Academy of Macroeconomic Research, said China can build an open economic theory system based on Chinese political economy.

"Such a system should cover international cooperation and communication, open development and security, and the building of an open world economy," Luo said.

Pei Changhong, Hongtian chair professor at the UIBE and former director of the Institute of Economics at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said economic research faces a dual task — studying reform practice across the national economy and advancing innovation in economic theory itself.

Xu Xiujun, deputy director of the National Academy of Chinese Modernization at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said Chinese modernization could be understood through development, cooperation and governance.

From a regional perspective, Shen Minghao, vice-president of Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, said the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area is an important window for observing China's opening-up practices and regional development.

Shen said the Greater Bay Area provides an important platform for studying how policy design can be translated into regional development practice.

He added that stronger cooperation is needed in high-standard opening-up, international economic and trade rules, digital trade and global governance.

At the forum, three think tank reports were also released, including the Annual Report on Beijing Opening-up Development (2025), the Annual Report on Beijing Platform Economy Development Report (2025) and the Annual Report on Coordinated Development of Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (2025).