On the morning of 27th August 2025, Zhongnan University of Economics and Law (ZUEL) and the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of Hubei Provincial People’s Government (SASAC of Hubei Province) signed a strategic cooperation framework agreement to jointly establish “the Research Center for the Reform and Development of State-owned Assets and Enterprises in Hubei”, followed by an unveiling ceremony. Zhu Fangwei, President and Deputy Party Secretary of ZUEL, and Chen Zhong, Party Secretary and Director of SASAC of Hubei Province, attended and delivered remarks. Chen Baifeng, Member of the Standing Committee of the CPC ZUEL Committee and Vice President of ZUEL, and Ping Bendong, Party Committee Member and Deputy Director of SASAC of Hubei Province, were present. The ceremony was hosted by Li Xiaoping, Assistant to the President and Director of the Research Department of ZUEL.
President Zhu Fangwei expressed gratitude for SASAC’s longstanding support and underscored the Center’s significance for promoting the high-quality development of state-owned enterprises (SOEs) and for advancing academic, theoretical, and discourse systems with distinct Chinese characteristics. He called for strengthening foundational research on SOE reform and development, providing theoretical support for Chinese enterprises “going global,” pursuing problem-oriented studies with actionable policy solutions, and seizing frontiers in SOE reform research to build a first-class think tank, results-transfer platform, and talent-training base.
Director Chen Zhong congratulated the establishment of the Center and noted that the CPC Hubei Provincial Committee and the provincial government attach great importance to SOE reform and development. Facing new situations and missions, Hubei’s state-owned economy bears the responsibility to become stronger, better and larger as a strategic pillar and leading force, thus requiring robust intellectual and decision-making support. He set out three expectations for the Center: to scale theoretical frontiers, to serve major decision-making as a think tank, and to pursue openness and innovation to enhance brand influence, pledging SASAC’s active support.
During the signing and unveiling, Chen Baifeng and Ping Bendong signed the cooperation agreement on behalf of both parties, while Zhu Fangwei and Chen Zhong jointly unveiled the Center. Witnesses included Chen Hao, Director of the Office of SASAC of Hubei Province; Cao Deguo, Director of the Reform and Development Promotion Center; Liu Jianming, Director of ZUEL’s Party Committee Office and University Office; Wu Haitao, Dean of the School of Business Administration (SBA); Yu Xiaopeng, Party Secretary of the SBA; Shi Junwei and Dong Ciwei, Vice Deans of the SBA; and Wen Hao, Vice Dean of the CCB Academy and Director of the Center.
In closing, Li Xiaoping emphasized that the joint establishment of the Center responds to the national agenda of deepening SOE reform and to Hubei’s mission to build a pivotal growth pole in Central China. He encouraged the Center to integrate resources, strengthen field research, and deliver practical outcomes, generating high-quality research that serves both the province and the nation.
Leveraging the SBA’s disciplinary strengths and research resources, the Center positions itself as a high-end think tank oriented toward practice, serving decision-making, and leading innovation. With the mission of serving national and provincial strategies, empowering SOEs, and promoting regional high-quality development, it will focus on theoretical innovation and on such areas as strategic planning, operational capability enhancement, governance optimization, and talent development to meet reform needs and help build Hubei into a key strategic fulcrum of Central China.