From October 13 to 17, 2016, the 20th Social Asia Forum was held in Tokyo, Japan. More than 80 representatives from the Chinese mainland, Japan, South Korea and China's Taiwan region participated in the meeting, and fully exchanged and discussed the theme of the meeting, "How Trade Unions in Asia Respond to Challenges from Aging Workforce, Gender Differences, and Poverty". At the invitation of the RENGO Research Institute for Advancement of Living Standards, a group of six teachers from our university, led by Professor Jiang Ying, Director of the Law School, went to Japan to attend the forum. Associate Professor Qiao Jian, Director of the School of Labor Relations and Human Resources, presided over the special report and academic review of the Japanese delegation, and Professor Jiang Ying, the head of the Chinese mainland delegation, made a concluding speech at the closing meeting.

Dr. Niu Ling from the School of Labor Relations and Human Resources of our university delivered a keynote report entitled "Chinese Trade Unions Facing Multiple Challenges in Workforce Age, Gender, and Poverty". The report analyzed that under the new normal economic conditions, the scale of employment in China continues to expand, the demand in the labor market slightly exceeds supply, and workers' wages continue to rise. However, it also faces severe aging issues, gender discrimination in the labor market, and increasingly complex poverty challenges. Associate Professor Zhang Dongmei from the Law School presented a dynamic report entitled "2015-2016: The Current Situation and Challenges of China's Labor Relations", analyzing the overall status of labor relations in China, the labor contract system, the collective contract system, and the development of national labor standards. The reports from the two teachers received enthusiastic responses and high praise from the attending experts and scholars.

Since 1995, the Social Asia Forum has been alternately held for 20 sessions in the Chinese mainland, Japan, South Korea and China's Taiwan region, and is an important channel for non-governmental diplomacy of labor scholars and trade unions from all sides. As an important academic platform in the field of labor relations in East Asia, the forum has increasingly demonstrated its extensive social influence in promoting and deepening academic exchanges and research in the field of labor relations and trade unions over the years. Following the tradition of rotating hosting, the attending parties jointly decided that the 21st Forum would be held by our university in the Chinese mainland in November 2017, with the theme of "The Impact of New Information Technology on Labor and Employment-The Role of Trade Unions".

(Foreign Affairs Office)