On the morning of June 15, 2026, the 169th session of the "BNUBS Expert Forum Lecture Series" was delivered as scheduled in Conference Room 1722 of the Rear Main Building at Beijing Normal University Business School (BNUBS). This session invited Professor Ma Shuzhong, Qiushi Distinguished Professor of Zhejiang University and Director of the China Digital Trade Institute at Zhejiang University, as the keynote speaker, who presented a special lecture entitled Iconic Concepts of Digital Trade 4.0: Practical Exploration Based on Discourse System Construction.

At the opening of the lecture, Professor Ma Shuzhong pointed out that competition over global digital trade rules has intensified in recent years. The right to denominate core digital trade concepts and set relevant agendas directly determines each country’s discourse power in global rule-making. For a long time, Western counterparts have dominated the definition of core concepts in this field, making it an urgent task to construct an independent Chinese knowledge system for digital trade.

Centered on the core theme of "Iconic Concepts of Digital Trade 4.0", Professor Ma elaborated step by step from basic to advanced levels and established a logically coherent and rigorous conceptual framework. His interpretation unfolded along four dimensions: the underlying logic of digital trade, mainstream models and business forms, supporting industrial ecosystems, and agenda items for global governance rules. He stressed that an understanding of digital trade must be rooted in the digital economy. Nowadays, the digital economy has expanded beyond conventional B2C models into the industrial Internet, and intelligent manufacturing essentially constitutes a natural industrial extension of digital trade. When addressing global governance, Professor Ma analyzed the current state of rule-based competition surrounding pivotal issues including cross-border data flows, digital taxation and the protection of digital intellectual property rights. He called on Chinese scholars to take an active part in the formulation of international standards, and contribute Chinese wisdom and solutions to global digital governance through theoretical innovation. Featuring cutting-edge viewpoints and a broad international perspective, the lecture integrated profound theoretical insights with the real-world dynamics of global digital trade governance.

During the interactive Q&A session, faculty and students launched in-depth discussions on hot topics such as the definition of digital trade concepts, cross-border data governance and the development of indigenous discourse systems. Drawing on theoretical research and industrial cases, Professor Ma provided thorough and patient responses to every inquiry raised by the audience.

With this session concluded successfully, the 169th BNUBS Expert Forum Lecture Series came to an end. The sustained lecture series serves as a high-caliber platform for academic exchanges, continuously enriching BNUBS’s academic ecosystem. It enables faculty and students to keep track of research frontiers, broaden academic horizons and sharpen research competencies, thereby fostering a thriving intellectual atmosphere across the School.

Contributed by Academic Practice Department of the Graduate Student Union

Edited by Sun Yue

Reviewed by Hu Conghui