Tsinghua University Hosts 2024 Foreign Affairs Work Conference and Global Strategy Promotion Meeting

On the afternoon of December 30, 2024, Tsinghua University held the 2024 Foreign Affairs Work Conference and Global Strategy Promotion Conference with the theme of “Serving the Center for Development, Deepening Reform and Further Upgrading”. Qiu Yong, Secretary of the Party Committee of the University and Head of the Leading Group for Education Opening to the Outside World, attended and spoke, and Li Luming, President and Head of the Leading Group for Education Opening to the Outside World, presided over the meeting. School leaders Xiang Botao, Yang Bin, Guo Yong, Zeng Rong, Jiang Peixue, and Wang Hongwei attended the meeting.

Qiu Yong’s speech

Qiu Yong pointed out that 2024 is a year of great significance in the process of building a strong country in education. Tsinghua University, adhering to the fine tradition of openness and inclusiveness, continues to move forward on the basis of what has been achieved, strives to coordinate “bringing in” and “going out”, plans and organizes a series of high-level foreign affairs activities, and continuously improves the school’s internationalization capabilities, international competitiveness and academic influence, and has achieved remarkable results.

Qiu Yong said that the world is undergoing a major change that has not been seen in a century, and education is facing new strategic opportunities for opening up to the outside world. Higher education has a lot to do and will do a lot. Standing at a new starting point, we must adhere to the Party’s leadership over the school’s foreign affairs work, take Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, especially Xi Jinping’s Diplomatic Thought, as a guide, accurately grasp the profound changes in the external environment of education, always regard serving the country as the highest pursuit, and promote the implementation of the 2030 global strategy with more active historical responsibility and more courage to tackle tough problems, and create a new situation for the school’s international exchanges and cooperation in further comprehensively deepening reforms and promoting high-level opening up to the outside world.

Qiu Yong emphasized that we should actively serve the overall situation of the country’s foreign affairs, strengthen high-level cooperation and exchanges with key countries and regions, countries jointly building the “Belt and Road”, and neighboring countries. Solidly promote the implementation of various strategic deployments, strengthen the overall management, resource allocation and support service system construction of overseas centers (bases). Give full play to the role of colleges and departments in international exchanges and cooperation, and expand international academic exchanges and educational and scientific research cooperation. Actively build a high-level international cooperation platform to better demonstrate the unique role of universities in cultural exchanges and people-to-people exchanges. Continue to deepen foreign-related cooperation with key science and technology leading enterprises, and promote basic research, knowledge transformation and technology transfer. Focus on improving the quality of international students and the quality of training, and promote the exchange and integration of Chinese and foreign students and scholars. Effectively strengthen the service and guarantee work for overseas talents, and further attract, retain and make good use of talents. The whole school should unify its thinking, improve its position, broaden its horizons, adhere to the general tone of seeking progress in stability, and work together to promote the school’s foreign affairs work to a new level in keeping the right direction and making innovations.

Li Luming chaired the meeting

Li Luming said when presiding over the meeting that under the strong leadership of the school party committee, Tsinghua’s foreign affairs work has overcome difficulties, responded calmly, and achieved fruitful results. In the face of new situations and new challenges, foreign affairs work must continue to serve the overall situation of the country’s foreign affairs and the school’s central work, actively expand externally and improve internally, promote colleges and departments to strengthen internationalization capacity building in combination with their own characteristics, strengthen the recruitment and training of international students, and improve the service and guarantee capabilities for foreign talents, and strive to build the school into a place of yearning and peace of mind for world talents. All units must deeply understand the importance of the school’s promotion of the global strategy, fully implement the deployment requirements of this meeting, strengthen responsibility, and unite the majority of teachers, students and staff to continuously open up a new situation of high-quality development of world-class universities with Chinese characteristics.

Xiao Qian, Liu Yiqun, Yu Xinjie, Liang Qionglin, and Liu Taoxiong (from left to right, from top to bottom) report and exchange ideas

At the meeting, Xiao Qian, Director of the International Affairs Office and Director of the Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan Affairs Office, reported on the school’s ideas and measures for promoting the global strategy and deepening the reform of international exchanges and cooperation. Liu Yiqun, Director of the Research Institute, introduced the current situation and development direction of the school’s international scientific research cooperation. Yu Xinjie, Director of the Personnel Office, introduced the school’s international talent introduction. Liang Qionglin, Dean of the Graduate School, introduced the school’s international graduate student recruitment, training programs and funding system. Liu Taoxiong, Executive Deputy Director of the Publicity Department and Director of the News Center, shared the relevant situation of the school’s global communication system construction.

Conference site

The meeting was attended by heads of member units of the school’s education opening-up leading group, heads of teaching and research institutions and relevant departments, foreign affairs directors of various units, special envoys for international cooperation and exchanges, and heads of global strategic layout projects.