On November 1, 2025, the academic symposium titled “The Shanghai Approach to Building an Independent Knowledge System for Area Studies” was successfully held at the Hongkou Campus of Shanghai International Studies University. The event was co-organized by the Shanghai Institute for European Studies (SIES), the Shanghai Society of Area and Country Studies, the Shanghai Society of International Relations, and the Shanghai Association for World History, with the Shanghai Academy of Global Governance & Area Studies at Shanghai International Studies University serving as the host institution. As an annual collaborative project of the Shanghai Federation of Social Sciences Association, the symposium invited over ten scholars from relevant academic societies and universities for in-depth discussions. In attendance was Ren Xiaowen, Member of the Party Leadership Group, Full-time Vice Chairperson, and First-Class Inspector of the Shanghai Federation of Social Science Associations. The proceedings were chaired by Jiang Feng, President of the Shanghai Society of Area and Country Studies and Chairman of the Board of the Shanghai Academy for Global Governance & Area Studies. Professor Ding Chun, President of the Shanghai Institute for European Studies and Vice President of Shanghai Society of Area and Country Studies, delivered a keynote speech on European studies within the framework of constructing an autonomous knowledge system. Professor Liu Hongsong, Council Member of SIES and Professor at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, addressed the development of an autonomous knowledge system for research into EU foreign policy. Long Jing, Council Member of SIES and Deputy Director of the European Studies Center at the Shanghai Institutes for International Studies, spoke on regional and country studies concerning Central and Eastern European sub-regional nations.
