On October 11, 2025, the Fifth International Conference on Digital Economy, hosted by the School of Economics and Management(SEM) at Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications (BUPT) and co-organized by the Tsinghua Laboratory for Computational Social Science and State Governance, the BUPT-CASISD Joint Research Center for Digital Strategy (Think Tank), the Economics and Management Innovation Committee of the China Institute of Communications, and the DCU Institute for Business and Society, was successfully held at BUPT. Adopting a hybrid online and offline format, the conference focused on the theme "Navigating Economic Transformation and Management Innovation in the AI Era," delving into the profound impacts of rapid AI development on digital economic transformation and management innovation. The event attracted significant attention and participation from numerous experts, scholars, and industry practitioners both domestically and internationally. Attendees included overseas experts from the United States, Denmark, Ireland, and Malaysia, as well as domestic scholars, graduate students, and international students from institutions such as the University of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Tsinghua University, Renmin University of China, and the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology, totaling over 130 participants.
Professor Shanguo Huang, Vice President of BUPT, stated that coinciding with the 70th anniversary of BUPT and a critical period where AI is profoundly reshaping the global economic structure, the SEM's hosting of the Fifth International Conference on Digital Economy is particularly timely. BUPT will seize this opportunity to build consensus and pool strengths, leveraging its solid foundation in information technology and the interdisciplinary advantage of "Communications + Economics & Management." The university is committed to further advancing disciplinary development, scientific research, and international dialogue in the digital economy, thereby contributing "BUPT's Wisdom" to fostering a new global digital economy that is inclusive, balanced, innovative, cooperative, and prosperous for all.
The main forum was chaired by Professor Yan Qiang, Dean of the BUPT School of Economics and Management and Chair of the Fifth International Conference on Digital Economy. Distinguished guests delivering keynote speeches at the main forum included: Professor Xiaojuan Jiang, University of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, former Deputy Secretary-General of the State Council; Professor Wei He, Deputy Chief Engineer and Professor-level Senior Engineer, China Academy of Information and Communications Technology; Professor Qingguo Meng, Tsinghua University, Executive Director of the Ministry of Education Philosophy and Social Sciences Laboratory - Tsinghua Laboratory for Computational Social Science and State Governance; Professor Jaime Ortiz from the University of Texas; Professor Theo Lynn from the DCU Business School; and Professor Manjeevan Singh Seera from Monash University Malaysia.
The Economics Sub-forum was chaired by Professor Hongbing Li, Associate Dean of SEM BUPT , and Professor Bingbing Zhang, Director of the Research Center for Agricultural Carbon Neutrality and Green Development at Nanjing Agricultural University. Associate Professor Fei Li, Department Head of Economics at SEM BUPT, served as discussant. Professor Bin Liu from the University of International Business and Economics presented on "The Impact of Overseas Data Center M&A on Firms' Cross-Border Patent Applications"; Professor Yong Li from Renmin University of China presented on "Model Comparison Methods for Misspecified Models with Big Data: A Variational Bayesian Perspective"; Professor Hongbo Cai from Beijing Normal University presented on "Spatial Spillovers of the Digital Economy"; Tenured Associate Professor Kunpeng Sun from the Central University of Finance and Economics reported on "Public Science Popularization and the Adjustment of Enterprise Innovation Direction: Evidence from LLM Analysis of Digital Science Texts"; Associate Professor Zilin Chen from Southwestern University of Finance and Economics presented on "Partisan Hedge Funds"; Associate Professor Canlei Liu from the University of International Business and Economics reported on "Identifying FDI Knowledge Spillovers Using Innovation Networks: Evidence from China"; Associate Professor Zhen Li from BUPT presented on "Navigating Trade Uncertainty: The Role of Government Procurement in Global Supply Chains".
The Management Sub-forum was chaired by Associate Professor Na Liu, Department Head of Management Science and Engineering, and Associate Professor Le Li, Department Head of Public Administration at BUPT. Professor Rony Medaglia from Copenhagen Business School, Denmark, presented on "Digital governance in the era of Generative AI"; Professor Jenifer Sunrise Winter from the University of Hawaii at Mānoa presented on "Integrating Hardware into Responsible AI Frameworks: Foundations for Sustainable Innovation"; Professor Wang Lin from Incheon National University, South Korea, shared research on "How We Perceive and Adopt AI: Lessons from Museums"; Associate Professor Siyu Yao from Beijing University of Chemical Technology presented on how digital and intelligent technologies accelerate the deep integration of technological innovation and industrial innovation; Associate Professor Youkui Wang from BUPT reported on "Instrumental Rationality vs. Value Rationality: Value Reconciliation in AI Governance in China"; Associate Professor Zhe Li from the Central University of Finance and Economics shared research on "How Does Blockchain Reshape Corporate Information Disclosure Behavior?".
The Graduate Sub-forum was chaired by Professor Guannan Xu, Associate Dean of BUPT SEM, and Associate Professor Zichun Yan. Professor Bingbing Zhang, Director of the Research Center for Agricultural Carbon Neutrality and Green Development at Nanjing Agricultural University, Associate Professor Lu Feng, and Associate Professor Xiaolong Li from SEM BUPT were invited as discussants. Eight doctoral and master's students presented their recent research.
