Chen Dongxiao

　　The international affairs studies in Shanghai enjoy a long history, which dates back to the 1930s. After the founding of New China, Shanghai established a number of research institutes which were engaged in the studies of the politics, economics and security of various countries and regions, and which participated in the then important diplomatic activities soon after their founding. With the startup and deepening of China's reform and opening-up program, China's diplomacy has undergone great changes in intension and extension with diversified players, which demands urgently the Chinese government to further its understanding of the fundamental issues of China's diplomatic goals, principles, and means. The need for international studies has thus greatly increased. For a long time, Shanghai has kept a leading role in the programs of opening door to the outside world, economic development, and integration into the international system. Under the CPC leadership, research organizations in Shanghai, by actively engaging themselves in the studies of a range of important strategic subjects such as China's peaceful development, become an increasingly important force in the international strategic studies field in China.