Time: July 8th, 2014
Lecturer: Professor SONG Li
Host: Professor ZHAO Nong
Commentators: CHEN Yanbin, ZHAO Jingxing, LOU Feng, SHENG Hong, LI Renqing

Professor SONG Li analyzed the structure of supply and demand from three perspectives, namely, the sectoral structure, and investment rate and consumption rate, and China’s dependence on external demand. By comparing the trends of various sectors from home and abroad (agriculture, industry, and services), and by employing econometric models, Professor SONG LI thought a simple conclusion could be reached that if there was a structural problem, it would be due to the disadvantaged development of manufacturing service industry. By comparing the average income, GDP per capita, urbanization rate, economic growth rate, social spending, investment rate and consumption rate, Professor SONG Li believed it was a common phenomenon that the investment rate, surplus rate and the proportion of secondary industry were high. He thought, from the perspective of all the influencing factors, China’s external dependence was comparatively low and the surplus rate was not very high. His conclusion was that the structural problem of China’s economy was not very severe. The nature of the problem concerned interest groups.