In the afternoon of November 16, the "2022 HCH-International Education Cooperation Conference" was successfully held in Qingchuan Hall of East Lake International Conference Center. The event was guided by the Central Working Group on Overseas High-level Talent Introduction, hosted by the People's Government of Hubei Province, the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office of the State Council and the People's Government of Wuhan City, supported by China Education Association for International Exchange, organized by the Department of Education of Hubei Province, and co-organized by Hubei Education International Exchange Association, Hubei Education International Exchange Service Center and Wuhan Hyde Cambridge Education Consult & Services Co., Ltd.

第二部分  国际教育合作专场

International Education Cooperation Conference

1.      Representatives from China Education Association for International Exchange, educational institutions at home and abroad, and relevant education authorities delivered keynote speeches under the theme "Pool Efforts to Build a Highland for Educational Opening-up in Central China" via an online-offline hybrid format, followed by online school signing ceremonies and project promotions.

2.      Wang Yongli, Vice President and Secretary-General of China Education Association for International Exchange; Cheng Wu, Deputy Director of the United Front Work Department of the CPC Hubei Provincial Committee; Yu Xuemin, Deputy Director of the Department of Education of Hubei Province; and Kwok Wai Fan, Director of the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Wuhan attended the conference.

3.      In his keynote speech, Wang Yongli, Vice President and Secretary-General of China Education Association for International Exchange, stated that amid the disruptions to international educational exchanges caused by the pandemic, we must stay firm in our resolve and respond proactively. The pandemic has accelerated the development of new technologies, which have created new models and avenues for cross-border education engagement. In the future, international education cooperation will embrace more diverse formats and deliver higher efficiency.

4.      Cheng Wu, Deputy Director of the United Front Work Department of the CPC Hubei Provincial Committee, remarked that the HCH Conference has long stood as an internationally renowned brand of Hubei’s opening-up, rooted in Hubei, serving the whole country and connecting the world. As a flagship session of the HCH Conference, the International Education Cooperation Conference has evolved into a high-quality platform facilitating communication and partnership-building between education authorities and institutions worldwide. It has opened up new channels for Hubei universities to go global and introduce overseas resources, enabling Hubei to share its stories, voice its perspectives, and showcase its dynamic image of opening-up to the world.

5.      "All universities across the province have overcome pandemic challenges and adopted diversified approaches to sustain sound momentum in international cooperation and exchanges," introduced Yu Xuemin, Deputy Director of the Department of Education of Hubei Province in his address. Over the past year, Wuhan University signed cooperation agreements with world-renowned institutions including the University of California, Davis, the University of Chicago and Durham University in the UK; Huazhong University of Science and Technology launched student exchange programs and held annual graduate academic conferences with Sungkyunkwan University in the Republic of Korea; Zhongnan University of Economics and Law successfully established a non-independent legal person Sino-foreign cooperative education institution with Sapienza University of Rome. Moving forward, Hubei will thoroughly implement the guiding principles laid out in documents issued by the Ministry of Education and relevant authorities, and strive to deliver landmark achievements in educational opening-up while building a province with world-class higher education.

6.      He Weijun, Party Secretary of China Three Gorges University, elaborated on a dialectical understanding of building the "highland" of educational opening-up. He highlighted the integration of high-standard opening-up and high-quality development, and the incorporation of international exchanges and cooperation into the construction of three core highlands: a hub for talent aggregation, a platform for mutual learning between Chinese and foreign civilizations, and a base for pooling global wisdom, so as to contribute Chinese insights to global governance.

7. In her presentation, Yao Li, Vice President of Zhongnan University of Economics and Law, pointed out that opening-up is an essential prerequisite for fostering a new development landscape amid new trends and requirements. She proposed advancing the Global Partners Program, boosting local internationalization through Sino-foreign cooperative education, elevating the quality of cultivating talents with global competence, and accelerating the development of an internationalized teaching faculty.

第三部分

线上+线下签约Hybrid Online & Offline Signing Session

Against the backdrop of rapid global economic and financial globalization, sound interactive exchanges and cooperation between universities and enterprises fuel universities’ mission to cultivate innovative interdisciplinary talents. At the signing ceremony, nine pairs of Chinese and foreign institutions including Wuhan University and Politecnico di Milano signed cooperation agreements via hybrid online and offline channels. Meanwhile, Hubei Engineering University and CITIC Bank completed on-site signing for a student financial practice program.

 The HCH International Education Cooperation Conference has been held for six consecutive sessions. Over the six years, it has facilitated partnerships between nearly 70 Chinese and foreign universities, evolving into a vital link and bridge for international educational exchange and cooperation in Hubei Province.