This weekend, leaders from the United States and China will gather in Cambridge to examine challenges facing the financial sectors of the two countries. The annual “Symposium on Building the Financial System of the 21st Century: An Agenda for China and the United States” is organized by Harvard Law School’s Program on International Financial Systems (PIFS) and the China Development Research Foundation (CDRF).

“Now in its sixth year, the China-U.S. Symposium has become an important forum for constructive interchange between leaders of the financial systems of China and the U.S.,” said Harvard Law School Professor Hal S. Scott, director of PIFS. “The ongoing financial crisis is obviously our focus this year. We will discuss the impact of the crisis on our two countries, what regulatory reforms are needed, and how the U.S. and China can cooperate in the effort to restore global growth.”

“The annual symposium has witnessed prosperity as well as recession in the international economy over the last six years,” said LU Mai, Secretary General of CDRF. “This year’s symposium will be held at the right time to evaluate the current financial and economic situation, as well as to predict future changes. This symposium is of much importance to the financial and economic communities of both countries. We look forward to another productive symposium.”

The 90 attendees include senior government officials, economic advisers, financial firm leaders, lawyers, consultants, and scholars from the U.S. and China.

Speakers include:

• Robert Dohner, deputy assistant secretary for Asia, U.S. Department of Treasury
• LI Jiange, chairman, China International Capital Corporation
• Stephen S. Roach, chairman, Morgan Stanley Asia
• John H. ZHAO, chief executive officer, Hony Capital

The Harvard Law School Program on International Financial Systems was founded in 1986. It was established to conduct research integrating law, economics and finance. In its 22 years, the Program has published books on the international financial system, held symposia, and provided policy advice to an array of countries.