Tianjin University Hosts Inaugural Conference of the “Global South” Academic Research Alliance and International Forum on Sustainable Development and Talent Cultivation

To thoroughly implement the guiding principles of the Third Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee and the requirements set out in the Outline for Building China into a Leading Country in Education (2024–2035), and to promote mutual learning among Chinese and foreign civilizations, Tianjin University held the inaugural conference of the “Global South” Academic Research Alliance and the “Global South” International Forum on Sustainable Development and Talent Cultivation on April 26, 2025. The event, convened at this historic juncture when the SCO Summit is about to open in Tianjin and Tianjin University is celebrating the 130th anniversary of its founding, brought together over 100 experts and scholars from more than 60 universities and research institutions at home and abroad on the Peiyangyuan Campus to contribute wisdom and strength to building a community with a shared future for mankind. The conference was chaired by Ming Dong, Vice President of Tianjin University and Dean of the Institute for Global South Studies.

In his address, Yang Xianjin, Party Secretary of Tianjin University, expressed his gratitude to all organizations, international friends, and experts and scholars who have cared for and supported the university’s development and the establishment of the Academic Research Alliance. He noted that Tianjin University will give full play to the role of the Alliance in building a major academic hub, a high ground of ideas, and a nexus for innovation. Leveraging this open, innovative, and collaborative academic platform, the university will pool research strengths from both China and abroad, generate more innovative ideas, and contribute to deepening cooperation across the “Global South” and amplifying “China’s voice” in global governance.

Jia Peng, Deputy Director-General of the Department of International Cooperation and Exchanges of the Ministry of Education, observed that as the world’s largest developing country, China has, through the great practice of reform and opening-up, unlocked the “code” of Chinese modernization and achieved the “two miracles” of rapid economic growth and long-term social stability. He expressed the hope that, in deepening Global South studies, researchers will identify the points of convergence between the “China miracle” and “Global South opportunities.” He encouraged Tianjin University to take the establishment of the Alliance as a fresh starting point to broaden its higher-education cooperation with Global South countries, innovate talent-training models that integrate “discipline + language + regional and country studies,” strengthen cross-disciplinary, cross-regional, and cross-cultural research, share high-quality educational resources with Global South countries, and make greater “TJU contribution” to the Global South.

Liu Yiman, Deputy Secretary of the Tianjin Municipal Education Working Committee, noted that the Tianjin Municipal Education Commission has always attached great importance to Global South studies and educational cooperation, and actively supports universities in leveraging their disciplinary strengths to deepen work in regional and country studies, talent training, technology-enabled education, and other areas. She stated that the Commission will support the construction and development of the Alliance by strengthening resource coordination and building research highlands, deepening the integration of industry and education to cultivate urgently needed talent, and aligning with local development needs to empower Tianjin’s opening-up and development.

Yuan Shijun, Executive Vice President of the Tianjin Federation of Social Sciences, stressed that the Federation has consistently focused on the central task of building an independent system of philosophy and social sciences in China. It is committed to fostering a matrix of high-end, key, and emerging think tanks that reinforce one another, and to advancing cross-field and cross-disciplinary research. Going forward, the Federation will continue to uphold its mission of serving the country, society, scholarship, and scholars, actively build platforms and open up channels, deepen academic exchange, promote joint construction of think tanks, and strive to deliver landmark research outcomes in Global South studies.

Guests including H.E. Hallam Henry, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Barbados to China; H.E. Tefera Derbew Yimam, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ethiopia to China; He Changchui, Academician of the International Eurasian Academy of Sciences and former Deputy Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations; and Wang Zhijia, former Deputy Director of the Regional Cooperation Division of the United Nations Environment Programme, shared insights on strategic development pathways from an international perspective and the practical experience of international organizations. From multiple vantage points, they examined global issues and provided forward-looking conceptual frameworks and practical pathways for the development of the Alliance.

Professors Luo Lin of Beijing Language and Culture University, Chen Jie of Sun Yat-sen University, Huang Jianzhong of Fuzhou University of Foreign Studies and Trade, Zheng Chunrong of Tongji University, Wang Heng of Zhejiang Normal University, Yang Cheng of Shanghai International Studies University, Professor Wen Chunying of the Communication University of China, and Professor Wang Zhan of Tianjin University jointly unveiled the “Global South” Academic Research Alliance. Subsequently, Zhang Junyan—member of the Standing Committee of the Party Committee and Head of the United Front Work Department of Tianjin University, and Secretary-General of the Governing Council of the Institute for Global South Studies—released the Initiative of the “Global South” Academic Research Alliance. Led by Tianjin University and jointly initiated by 46 universities and research institutions in China and abroad, the Alliance is positioned as a key academic platform in Global South studies. It will focus on resource integration and research innovation, deepen international talent cultivation and academic exchange, promote the construction of new research paradigms on the Global South, and contribute to dialogue among civilizations and the building of a community with a shared future for mankind.

The plenary keynote session was moderated by Wang Zhanpeng, an alumnus of Tianjin University’s Class of 1988 in Science and Technology English and Executive Vice Dean of the Academy of Regional and Global Governance at Beijing Foreign Studies University. Huang Renwei, Executive Vice Dean of the Belt and Road and Global Governance Institute at Fudan University; Huang Jianzhong; Nada Biaz, President of the École Nationale Supérieure de l’Administration (ENSA)of Morocco; and Dr Rabiah Rustam, Professor in the Faculty of Humanities at COMSATS University Islamabad, among others, delivered in-depth analyses and discussions on political, economic, cultural, educational, and other issues relating to the Global South.

Subsequently, Professor Wang Zhan, Executive Dean of the Institute for Global South Studies at Tianjin University, chaired an academic dialogue on “Global South” research. Experts including Luo Lin, Chen Jie, Lu Xiaohua (Dean of the School of New Media and Communication at Tianjin University), and Hassan Ragab (Dean of the Faculty of Languages and Director of the Confucius Institute at Suez Canal University, Egypt) held in-depth discussions on three core topics: discipline development, talent cultivation, and international cooperation, providing a clear conceptual framework for interdisciplinary integration and collaborative innovation in Global South studies.

In the afternoon, the Alliance exchange meeting and thematic forums were held in parallel. Experts engaged in intensive discussion of topics such as “Exploring Development Pathways for the Global South: Challenges and Opportunities,” “Energy Economy and Multilateral Cooperation,” “Digital-Intelligent Education and Talent Cultivation,” and “International Communication and Mutual Learning among Civilizations.” Through the collision of ideas, they deepened their understanding of the current situation, challenges, and trends in the development of Global South countries across these fields.

The successful convening of this forum represents an important initiative by Tianjin University to serve national strategies and strengthen regional and country studies. It highlights the university’s commitment to building China’s independent knowledge system and its sense of responsibility in contributing wisdom to the economic and social development of Global South countries.