The opening ceremony of the Model IMF 2024 training camp was held on the afternoon of July 5. This event was hosted by the School of Finance at Renmin University of China (RUC), co-organized by the IMF Resident Representative Office in China, and organized by the International Monetary Institute (IMI) of RUC. Attendees included Lin Shangli, President of RUC, Zhang Zhixiang, former Director-General of the International Department of the People’s Bank of China and former Executive Director for China at the IMF, and Steven Barnett, IMF’s Senior Resident Representative in China. The ceremony was presided over by Zhuang Yumin, Dean of the School of Finance at RUV.
In his speech, Lin Shangli highlighted the importance of finance as the lifeblood of the national economy and a crucial component of national core competitiveness. He emphasized that high-quality financial development is integral to promoting Chinese modernization. The Model IMF 2024, a representative project of professional academic camps, was launched through collaboration between the School of Finance and the IMF. It aims to cultivate global financial governance talents with professional expertise, patriotic feelings, international vision, and a sense of historical mission. This year's camp has further upgraded its resources, featuring stronger faculty, more diverse participants, and richer practical training. Lin encouraged the trainees to cherish the valuable learning and exchange opportunities, broaden their international horizons, understand national and global contexts, fully comprehend international economic and financial rules and order, actively participate in global governance, and respond to global challenges. He urged participants to enhance their professional skills, deeply understand the essence and operation of finance, continually update their knowledge structure, and excel in financial practices, thereby contributing to the advancement of Chinese modernization.
Steven Barnett, drawing from his 27-year career at the IMF, summarized his insights with four keywords: Cooperation, Change, Comprehend, and Culture. He stressed that the IMF’s core mission is to promote cooperation in global economic affairs, which is essential for maintaining long-term worldwide peace and prosperity and is a collective responsibility of our times. In recent years, the IMF has increasingly focused on enhancing human welfare, promoting social development, and maintaining global stability, especially in addressing global challenges like climate change. Barnett expressed his hope that the trainees would deeply understand and uphold international financial order, and contribute to major issues such as global economic prosperity and environmental governance.
Zhang Zhixiang acknowledged the School of Finance at RUC as a leader in China’s higher education in finance and economics, continually exploring and innovating to advance financial education. He emphasized that the Model IMF 2024 plays an active role in cultivating international financial talent. Zhang encouraged the trainees to master professional knowledge, be courageous, proactive, and committed to building a more inclusive, fair, and just international financial system.
Zhuang Yumin presided over the ceremony, during which Lin Shangli, Steven Barnett, Zhang Zhixiang, and Zhuang Yumin jointly activated a symbolic start button, officially launching the Model IMF 2024.
Following the opening ceremony, Steven Barnett delivered a lecture titled "Review of IMF Career and Advice on Financial Diplomacy," sharing his experiences, case studies, and career development insights from his 27 years at the IMF.
The Model IMF 2024, initiated by the School of Finance at RUC, is an international financial youth leadership training camp. It aims to cultivate global financial governance talents with professional expertise, patriotic feelings, global vision, and a sense of historical mission, and to supply young backbones for international financial organizations and multilateral institutions. Since its inception, the program has received strong support from the IMF headquarters and veteran Chinese financial diplomats and has gradually established a professional and international training system for international financial youth leaders.
