Pan Jiahua, the director of Urban Development and Environmental Research Institute, CASS; Wang Lei, the director of the Yichang International Cooperation Bureau, CASS; and William Thomson, the senior consultant of the Policy Department the OECD Regional Development paid a visit to Yichang for the preparation of international seminar “Yangtze River Economic Zone and Three Gorges Urban Agglomeration Construction” in Yichang, and were met by Huang Chuping, the member of the standing committee of provincial Party committee and the secretary of Yichang Municipal Party Committee.
　　Huang extended his warm welcome to the delegation, expressed his thanks to CASS and OECD for their support, and introduced the early progress in economic growth and the Three Gorges urban agglomeration in Yichang, Hubei Province. He said that Yichang would grasp the most crucial, immediate, and substantial opportunity of developing Yangtze River economic zone to propel the upgraded provincial strategy of Three Gorges urban agglomeration at present. Hang hoped that Yichang would exert a greater influence on the Three Gorges urban agglomeration construction.
　　The international seminar “Yangtze River Economic Zone and the Three Gorges Urban Agglomeration Construction” will be jointly hosted by CASS (one of the most authoritative and the top think banks) and OECD (one of the most influential international economic organizations) in Yichang. Huang Chuping hoped that both CASS and OECD would give full play to their respective advantages to invite the most authoritative international experts to plan and guide the construction of Yangtze River Economic Zone and Three Gorges urban agglomeration. Yichang will make the utmost efforts to offer the best services to host the influential conference conducive to the Three Gorges urban agglomeration construction.
　　The delegation paid visits to the Three Gorges, Yichang Humanwell Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd (located at the High-tech Industry Development Zone), and Jinbao Music Instrument Manufacture and hosted a symposium as well. Pan Jiahua introduced the cooperation between CASS and OECD, emphasized Yichang’s peculiar position and great potentials in the strategy of Yangtze River Economic Zone, and said it’s strategically important and practical for Yichang to host “Yangtze River Economic Zone and Three Gorges Urban Agglomeration Construction”. It will promote the Three Gorges to the national strategy as the support point and growth point of the national economy under the new condition, and become the model in the central and western regions. William Thomson considered it very honored to host the seminar with Yichang and invite the experts and scholars of international influence to substantially address the problems in the Yangtze River Economic Zone and the Three Gorges urban agglomeration development, and learn from the local development experience.
　　OECD, composed of 34 member countries of market economy and founded in 1961with Paris as its headquarter, is the inter-governmental international economic organization aiming to seize  opportunities and tackle challenges of economy, society, and government administration against the background of globalization.