From November 5 to 9, Chen Xing, Vice President of Beijing Normal University, led a delegation to Russia. The delegation attended the Sino-Russian Universities Alliance in Education International Forum on Teacher Education and a bilateral working meeting. They also visited partner institutions, including Moscow State Pedagogical University and Moscow City Pedagogical University. During the visit, the delegation paid a courtesy call to the Chinese Embassy in Russia. Representatives from Beijing Normal University's Faculty of Education, the National Engineering Research Center for Internet Education Intelligent Technology and Applications, the School of Foreign Languages and Literature, and the Office of International Exchange and Cooperation accompanied the visit.

On November 7, Chen Xing and his delegation attended the International Forum celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Sino-Russian Universities Alliance in Education, held at Yaroslavl State Pedagogical University in Russia. The forum, themed "The Art of Teaching: A Dialogue of Cultures," featured scholars from alliance member universities in China and Russia sharing their latest research in the field of education. Su Junyang, Dean of the School of Educational Management at the Faculty of Education, Beijing Normal University, delivered a keynote speech titled "The Concept and Artistic Expression of Teacher's Love". That afternoon, the Sino-Russian Universities Alliance in Education Bilateral Working Meeting was held in a hybrid format, combining in-person and online participation. Representing the Chinese Secretariat of the Alliance, Chen Xing presented an overview of the Alliance's major initiatives and achievements in recent years. He also proposed suggestions to enhance collaboration among member universities and optimize the selection mechanism for international students.

Chen Xing Attends 10th Anniversary International Forum and Bilateral Working Meeting of the Sino-Russian Universities Alliance in Education

Su Junyang (second from the right) Delivers a Keynote Speech at the International Forum

At Moscow State Pedagogical University, Chen Xing held talks with Rector Alexey Vladimirovich Lubkov. Both sides highly commended the positive role played by the "Sino-Russian Universities Alliance in Education," co-founded by the two universities, in promoting educational exchange and cooperation between China and Russia. They discussed specific initiatives such as advancing joint student training programs and interdisciplinary research collaboration. Additionally, they exchanged the renewed university-level macro cooperation agreement.

Exchange of University-Level Macro Cooperation Agreement

At Moscow City Pedagogical University, the delegation held discussions with heads of the university's Center for Independent Student Assessment, Strategic Development Department, and Information Technology Department on potential collaboration in areas such as digital education, educational technology, and foreign language education. A university-level macro cooperation agreement was also signed during the visit. The delegation toured the Center for Independent Student Assessment and experimental classrooms, with a particular focus on the application of artificial intelligence in assessing and enhancing student competencies.

Visit to Moscow City Pedagogical University

Tour of the Center for Independent Student Assessment

During the visit, the delegation also paid a courtesy call to the Chinese Embassy in Russia and met with Zhang Wei, Chargé d'Affaires, and Feng Litao, Minister Counsellor for Culture. Chen Xing provided an overview of Beijing Normal University's collaboration with Russia under the framework of the alliance and outlined plans for future initiatives. Zhang Wei highly praised the work of the Sino-Russian Universities Alliance in Education and Beijing Normal University, expressing hope that BNU would leverage its academic strengths to play an even greater role in advancing Sino-Russian relations.

Courtesy Visit to the Chinese Embassy in Russia

To implement the resolutions of the 12th Meeting of the Education Subcommittee under the China-Russia Committee on Humanities Cooperation, the "Sino-Russian Universities Alliance in Education" was established in April 2014, spearheaded by Beijing Normal University and Moscow State Pedagogical University with support from the Ministries of Education of both countries.

The Alliance is dedicated to uniting high-caliber educational institutions from China and Russia to conduct comparative education research, facilitate personnel exchanges between universities, and organize collaborative projects and international conferences in teaching and research. It also seeks to explore pathways for integrating academia and industry and transferring research achievements, thereby deepening Sino-Russian cultural and educational exchanges.

Over the years, the Alliance has developed several flagship initiatives, including the Sino-Russian Teacher Education Forum, the Sino-Russian Language Olympiad, and the "Russian Studies" International Graduate Forum. Since its inception, the Alliance has grown from its original 12 member universities to the current 22.

From November 13 to 17, a delegation led by Chen Xing, Vice President of Beijing Normal University, visited the United Kingdom. The delegation visited the Education Section of the Chinese Embassy in the UK and Cardiff University. Representatives from the School of Artificial Intelligence, the Development Planning Department, and the International Exchange and Cooperation Office accompanied the visit.

The delegation visited the Education Section of the Chinese Embassy in the UK and held discussions with Zhang Jin, Minister Counsellor for Education, and others. The talks focused on Sino-British cooperation in higher education, joint student training programs between universities in China and the UK, research collaboration, and cultural exchange initiatives.

The delegation visited Cardiff University, where they were received by Professor Wendy Larner, President of Cardiff University, and Professor Rudolf Allemann, Vice President. Both sides engaged in in-depth discussions and exchanged views on specific matters such as joint academic programs and the progress of establishing an international college. The delegation also conducted on-site visits to Cardiff University's School of Computer Science and Informatics and School of Engineering, where they held discussions with heads of relevant disciplines regarding the specifics of potential collaborations.

Meeting with the President of Cardiff University

Visit to Cardiff University's School of Computer Science and Informatics

Cardiff University is a strategic partner of Beijing Normal University. In 2015, the two institutions jointly established the Beijing Normal University-Cardiff University Chinese College, which was incorporated into the China-UK High-Level People-to-People Exchange Mechanism. Their collaboration spans multiple academic fields, including statistics, information science, mathematics, psychology, education, geography, journalism and communication, as well as arts and media. This partnership has fostered a variety of cooperative initiatives, such as joint research projects, faculty and student exchanges, and dual-degree programs.