China’s Economic and Business Transformation in a Changing Global Context

New growth drivers, global reconfiguration, and emerging business realities

Date: 23–24 November 2026

Time: Monday, 8:00 am – 9:00 pm (including conference dinner); Tuesday, 8:30 am – 5:00 pm (including optional campus tour)

Hosted by: Emerging Markets Research Group (EMRG), University of Sydney Business School, and the China Studies Centre, University of Sydney, in association with the Chinese Economics Society Australia (CESA).

About the event

The University of Sydney Business School's Emerging Markets Research Group (EMRG), together with the China Studies Centre, is hosting the 36th Annual Conference of the Chinese Economics Society Australia (CESA).

The two-day international conference will bring together leading scholars, researchers and industry experts to examine China's evolving economic and business landscape in an increasingly complex global environment.

Under the theme China's Economic and Business Transformation in a Changing Global Context, the conference will explore emerging growth drivers, technological transformation, geopolitical shifts and the reconfiguration of global trade, investment and business strategies.

Conference highlights

The programme features keynote addresses from:

• Professor Jiahua Pan, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (Guangzhou), an internationally recognised scholar in climate economics and sustainable development.

• Professor Kaiji Chen, Emory University, a leading researcher in macroeconomics and China's financial and economic transformation.

• Professor Vikas Kumar, University of Sydney Business School, Professor of International Business and Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of International Management.

The conference will also feature research presentations and industry panels examining artificial intelligence in business, energy transition, global value chains, innovation, sustainability and China's international economic relationships.

A dedicated Journal of International Management Paper Development Workshop will provide opportunities for researchers to develop contributions to the Special Issue China and the Reconfiguration of International Management.

Download the Conference programme (, 400KB).

Enquiries: cesa2026@163.com

Local organising committee: Dr Wei Li and Professor Vikas Kumar (University of Sydney), and Professor Roc Shi (University of Technology Sydney).