On June2, 2018 , the first UIBE Conference on Big Data for Politics and International Relations has been hosted by the School of International Studies, University of International Business and Economics. The opening ceremony has been presided by Professor Dai Changzheng, Dean of the School of International Relations, UIBE. Professor Wang Qiang, Vice President of the University of International Business and Economics, and Lv Xin, Deputy Director of the Office of the National Information Center, delivered opening speeches.

　　At the opening ceremony, Vice President Wang Qiang pointed out that the current human society is at a turning point from the industrial stage to an artificial intelligence-based society. Artificial intelligence technology has penetrated into every corner of social life.With the explosive growth of data volume and release of data value, big data is showing great economic and social value. In a sense, big data has become a new strategic resource, a new industrial blood and a new driving force for technological advancement, Prof. Wang added. The forum focused on the impact of big data over Political Science and International Relations. The topics discussed are not only forward-looking and interdisciplinary, but also policy oriented and theoretically solid.

　　Deputy Director Lv Xin emphasized that, from a global perspective, big data has become an important means to promote economic development, promote social governance and enhance the level of government supervision. Many countries have deployed big data as a strategic resource and are competing to further improve their efforts in this direction.Since the promulgation and implementation of the “Action Plan for Promoting Big Data Development” in China, many achievements have been made in the big data and artificial intelligence industries. The forum focused specifically on the significance of big data in Politics and International Relations. On one hand, big data helps to promote the development of Political Science and International Relations both in theory, as well as in practice. On the other hand, it also helps to promote big data technology, with increasing applications in various areas, such as national governance, national security and international relations.

　　In the opening speech, Dean Dai Changzheng pointed out that in the era of big data, Political Science and International Relations research face three major changes: first, political structure and political procedures have significantly evolved; secondly, the process of governances has been dramatically influenced by emerging political theories; lastly, the profound changes have influenced the field of international strategy.Consequently, both political scientists and international relations specialists need to understand today's information technology revolution, assess the impact and changes brought about by the progress of big data and artificial intelligence technology to all levels of society, and integrate the science of big data into political science and international relations research.

　　The forum reunited participants from China’s most prestigious higher learning institutions: Diplomatic Academy, East China Normal University, Shandong Normal University, Tsinghua University, CPC Central Party School, China Modern International Relations Institute, School of International Relations, Tongji University, Nankai University, China Social Sciences Review, Shanghai Institutes of International Studies, Central University of Finance and Economics, Shanghai University of Engineering and Technology, China Investment Magazine, China Institute of International Studies, Renmin University of China, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and the University of International Business and Economics.

　　The first panel was themed "Social Change, Power Reconstruction and Political Science Research in the Data Era". Professor Chen Zhirui, executive editor of the Diplomatic Review magazine, Foreign Affairs University, pointed out that the field of big data shall not be separated between good big data and bad big data. Big data research is not only about discussing the relevant frontiers technology, but also about morality and ethics.Professor Lu Gang, director of the Institute of International Studies at East China Normal University, pointed out that with the accumulation of personal data and the invention of new data mining tools, citizen’s privacy faces significant risks; it is necessary to strengthen legislation and establish specialized agencies to ensure data security for the state and citizens. Zhao Juan, assistant researcher with the Department of Political Science, Tsinghua University, pointed out that emerging technologies reshape the act of governance. E-politics is the innovation of a responsive government system. Through the collection of network data, the government can accurately locate citizens' wishes and demands, resolve conflicts and avoid risk escalation. According to the big data analysis of the national online politics platform, Li Feng, lecturer at the Central Party School of the Communist Party of China (National School of Administration), found that citizens have their own understanding of the distribution of responsibilities of different levels of government and party. Most of the city-level appeals seem to have found a satisfactory resolution. Similarly, demands at municipal-level governments are also likely to be answered. Zhao Chen, associate researcher at the China Institute of Contemporary International Relations, pointed out that cybersecurity governance is at critical crossroads. The current traditional security dilemma continues to spread into cyberspace. For this reason, the national cybersecurity governance must be innovative. Associate Professor Wang Haibin from the School of International Relations, University of International Business and Economics, pointed out that the state should establish a data security system through legislative means to ensure the liquidity and openness of data. Associate Professor Li Qi of the School of Public Administration of Shandong Normal University pointed out that in the era of big data, with the erosion of the original political foundation, the state needs to improve its governance capabilities, improve the data security governance system, maintain the publicity of the government, and protect individual rights from being infringed.

　　The second panel addressed "The Construction of International Relations Theory in accordance with Smart Diplomacy and Big Data".Professor Wang Cungang from the School of Politics and International Relations, Tongji University, pointed out that the application of big data at the diplomatic level is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, it is conducive to improving the quality of diplomacy between countries, expanding the field of diplomacy, and transforming research methods into the field of diplomacy. On the other hand, the emergence of newer technologies will further erode the national nature of diplomacy and strengthen the inequality of international relations. Associate Professor Qi Haixia from the Department of International Relations, Tsinghua University, argued that the current application of big data in international relations is relatively small. The effects of applying big data in international relations remains to be seen. Professor Sun Xuefeng, executive vice president of Tsinghua University's Institute of International Relations, emphasized that big data will promote innovation in international relations theory in two aspects: first, massive data will facilitate scholars to test existing assumptions; second, artificial intelligence and big data are expected to produce new results in international relations research. Professor XiongLili from the School of International Relations, University of International Business and Economics, pointed out that big data will have a certain impact on rational-actor policy choices. Scholars need to explore whether big data will make up for the lack of rational-actor policy choices and be implemented to obtain a more rational behavior. Professor Liu Feng, deputy dean of Zhou Enlai School of Government at Nankai University, believes that big data lacks a relatively credible causal mechanism so far. In addition, data homogeneity also has problems, hence the current big data research in international relations is limited in terms of application.

　　The third panel of the forum was mainly based on case studies and themed “Interdisciplinary Research: New Perspectives, New Models and New Methods”.Feng Shuai, an assistant researcher at the Shanghai Institute of International Studies, argued that artificial intelligence can provide a more systematic strategic assessment for the country to formulate relevant strategies. International relations research is moving toward a new era of algorithms and data, and such prospects are expected. Associate Professor Chen Xuefei from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Affairs Management of the School of Foreign Affairs selected the US and Russian embassies in China to conduct research on the microblog competition in China. She found that the visualization of Weibo data clearly showcases the confrontation between US and Russian public diplomacy. Chi Zhipei, assistant researcher of the Institute of Defense Economics and Management of the Central University of Finance and Economics, used the GDELT database as an example to briefly introduce the feasibility of measuring bilateral relations through event consolidation. Dong Enzhuang, lecturer at the Zhou Enlai School of Government, Nankai University, cited the application of social network analysis software as an example. By analyzing the characteristics and applicability of the network, you can understand the structure of the alliance, the relationship between them, and the impact on the conflict. Associate Professor Xu Jing from the School of Social Sciences of Shanghai University of Engineering and Technology analyzed the effect of international image communication in Shanghai's global cities through Google and Twitter search data. He found that the input and output of Shanghai's image are not proportional and challenge the concept of building an international image of Shanghai's global cities. Professor Dong Qingling from the School of International Relations at the University of International Business and Economics pointed out that data analysis is an abstraction and simulation of real life. He constructed a data conflict model and predicted the probability of terrorist attacks in the UK through discourse analysis.

　　The fourth panel discussed the “Technology Application and Data Ethics in Political Science Research”.Xu Longdi, associate researcher at the China Institute of International Studies, pointed out that drones, robots or lethal weapon systems provide new means of warfare, but these weapons are difficult to distinguish between military and civilian targets and should be restricted by legislation. Professor Song Wei from the School of International Studies at Renmin University of China pointed out that big data and artificial intelligence can help promote the three major studies of international relations: interpretive research, normative research and predictive research. However, a particular attention needs to be paid to the use of big data research methods. Zhang Haiyang, associate researcher at the Institute of European Studies, at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, pointed out that, from the perspective of discipline construction, it is necessary to include big data platforms such as Facebook in the field of political science and international relations. Big data platforms has the capacity to change people's behavior and cognition. Professor Tan Youzhi from the School of International Relations, University of International Business and Economics, pointed out that the current “smart diplomacy” of major countries has four major trends, namely artificial intelligence, blockchain, cloud computing and big data. 

　　Professor Dai Changzheng, Dean of the School of International Studies at the University of International Business and Economics, concluded that big data is not only changing the methodology of Political Science and International Relations research, but also changing the ontological existence of political structure and political processes. 

　　The forum, hosting a diversity of views, showcased an emerging field in both Political Science and International Relations, where solid research is already being conducted. It is hoped that big data will provide a new knowledge base for discipline construction and opening up new knowledge growth points for diplomatic decision-making and strategy development.