On December 22, the 2018 Border Open Development Forum was held in Dongxing City, Guangxi Autonomous Region. The forum invited leaders of national ministries and commissions, experts and scholars in the field of border open development, leaders of border cities and counties, business elites, as well as the Ministry of Industry and Commerce of Vietnam, Vietnam Institute of Strategic Development, and Vietnam Central Institute of Economics and Management to give speeches on the construction and development of border regions. The forum released the "2018 Border Development and Opening Annual Report" written by the research team of the National Economic Research Institute. The forum held a series of advancing dialogues—docking “the Belt and Road” and "Two Corridors and One Circle", border open development seminars, border tourism seminars, border provinces, counties and mayors conferences and other series of border open development forum activities. The University of International Business and Economics, the Research Institute of the Ministry of Commerce, Renmin University of China and the China Foreign Affairs University jointly hosted the relevant activities of this forum.
Dean Sang Baichuan delivered a keynote speech at the forum. Institute of International Economy also hosted a seminar on border open development. Leaders from 15 port cities across the country attended the meeting and delivered speeches. Experts discussed the opening up and development of border areas and helped promote the construction of "the Belt and Road". The seminar was hosted by Professor Li Jiguang, assistant to the Dean.
