The Centre for European Economic Research (ZEW) and Fudan University in Shanghai have been long-standing co-operation partners. Fudan University's President Prof. Yang Yuliang, PhD, and ZEW President Prof. Dr. Clemens Fuest signed an official co-operation agreement at the visit of a Chinese delegation to ZEW. The objective of the agreement is to intensify the existing collaboration in common research areas, to co-operate in qualifying young researchers, and to strengthen knowledge transfer. At the signing ceremony, ZEW President Fuest said: "The co-operation agreement we have signed is a good foundation to build bridges between ZEW's and Fudan University's research."

The goal of ZEW and Fudan University is to intensify co-operation in particular in the research fields of international finance, environmental and resource economics, industrial economics, as well as competition and regulation. Fudan President Yang emphasised the international tradition of his university, which has the highest number of foreign students of all Chinese universities. "True to this tradition, I’m convinced that the co-operation with ZEW will result in an exchange of ideas across disciplines. Both partners will benefit," Yang added.

An outcome of the existing collaboration is the China Economic Panel (CEP), a periodical survey of economic and financial data on China by ZEW and Fudan University, which was established in mid-2013.