On the morning of April 21, the 9th Annual Conference of the Chinese Education Council of the China-Russia Friendship Committee for Peace and Development and the Academic Symposium on High-Quality Development of Internationalized Higher Education between China and Russia were successfully held in a hybrid format (online and offline) at Henan University's Longzihu Campus in Zhengzhou. This meeting was hosted by the Chinese Education Council of the China-Russia Friendship Committee for Peace and Development and organized by Henan University (HENU). Zheng Xinye, Chairman of the Chinese Education Council of the China-Russia Friendship Committee for Peace and Development, Vice President of Renmin University of China and Member of the Standing Committee of the University's Party Committee, and Zhang Ligang, Vice President of HENU, attended the meeting. Representatives from council members, including Tsinghua University, Beijing Foreign Studies University, and Beijing International Studies University, also participated in the meeting.

The meeting consisted of two parts: the 9th Annual Conference of the Council in the morning, and an academic symposium in the afternoon, focusing on China-Russia educational cooperation outcomes and future planning for high-quality development.

The opening ceremony of the 9th Annual Conference of the Council was chaired by Li Qiuye, Executive Deputy Director of the International Affairs Office of HENU. Zheng Xinye delivered a speech and expressed gratitude to all member institutions for their long-standing attention and support to the Council's work on behalf of Renmin University of China. He noted that 2026 marks the 30th anniversary of the establishment of the China-Russia strategic partnership, the 25th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Good-Neighborliness and Friendly Cooperation Between the People's Republic of China and the Russian Federation, and the launch year of the China-Russia Years of Education. Against this backdrop, it is of great significance to improve educational cooperation mechanisms, deepen practical collaboration between universities, and strengthen the youth exchanges between the two countries.

Zhang Ligang, on behalf of HENU, welcomed all participants and expressed gratitude to Chairman Zheng Xinye for leading the Council to achieve fruitful results. He stated that as an important member of the Chinese Education Council, HENU has long been deeply engaged in educational exchanges and cooperation with Russia. Looking forward, the university will continue to leverage its discipline and regional advantages, fully support the Council's work, build consensus, share experience, and contribute to further higher education cooperation between China and Russia and the high-quality development of international education.

Following the opening ceremony, Professor Lan Guoshuai, Director of Educational Technology and doctoral supervisor at the Faculty of Education of HENU, delivered a keynote report titled "The 'Paradoxical' Evolution of Human Cognition in the Age of Artificial Intelligence." The report analyzed the evolution from historical logic, educational restructuring, and competency frameworks, providing theoretical support for China-Russia educational cooperation and talent cultivation in the age of intelligence.

Subsequently, a work meeting of the Council was held. Representatives from member institutions delivered a speech in turn, exchanging experience and plans, summarizing the year's work, and discussing the work plan for 2026. Zheng Xinye made a summary of the meeting. He affirmed the achievements of each institution over the past year and outlined the work orientation in 2026. Consensus was reached on issues such as joint research, faculty and student exchanges, and improving the quality and efficiency of cooperative education programs.

In the afternoon, the Academic Symposium on High-Quality Development of Internationalized Higher Education between China and Russia was chaired by Deng Hao, Dean of the Eurasian International School of HENU. Representatives from seven universities delivered thematic presentations on China-Russia cooperative education practices: Wang Guohong, Deputy Dean of the School of International Education, Shenyang Ligong University (SYLU), introduced how SYLU, leveraging its strengths in military engineering and engineering disciplines, has engaged in 20 years of cooperation with Russia, established the Sino-Russian Institute of International Engineering, and developed an integrated talent cultivation model of "major + Russian language". In the future, SYLU will advance an education model integrating bachelor's, master's, and doctoral programs to support Liaoning's Northward Opening-up strategy. Wang Qi, Deputy Dean of the Chinese-Russian Institute, Heilongjiang University (HLJU), shared that HLJU has integrated three major platforms to build a bachelor-master-doctor training system, innovate joint training mechanisms, and implement a dual-degree system, supplying high-level talents for the national strategy of northward opening up. Mei Wenzhang, Deputy Director of the International Cooperation Division, Harbin Institute of Technology (HIT), said that relying on the Association of Sino-Russian Technical Universities, HIT has successfully launched the "Astu Friendship" microsatellite and built the HIT-St Petersburg State University Sino-Russian Joint Campus, forming an institutionalized, substantialized, and ecologized cooperation system. Guo Li, Executive Deputy Dean of the Saint Petersburg Joint Engineering Institute, Xuzhou University of Technology, shared that the institute has developed a "major + Russian language" talent cultivation model, implemented a new student support system, and deepened industry-education cooperation with Xuzhou Construction Machinery Group, achieving a shift from "one-way recruitment" to "two-way empowerment." Liu Jiaming, Party Secretary of the Eurasian International School of HENU, shared that the school, guided by Party-building, has developed an international curriculum system and teaching quality monitoring system, established Sino-foreign joint research platforms, and cultivated interdisciplinary innovative talents with both patriotic dedication and global vision. Han Bowen, Deputy Dean of the School of Russian Studies, Beijing Foreign Studies University (BFSU), introduced BFSU's efforts to transform cooperation with Russia from "single visits" to "regular visits," strengthen dual-degree programs in "Russian language + big data/international law/energy economics," and deepen university-local and university-enterprise collaboration. Mao Yufeng, Director of the International Academic Exchange and Cooperation Department, Shenzhen MSU-BIT University, reviewed the MSU-BIT University's ten years of development and introduced that the university has leveraged the strengths of both Chinese and Russian institutions to establish a bachelor-master-doctor training system and a trilingual teaching model, setting a benchmark for Sino-foreign cooperative education.

The meeting aimed to implement the work plans for the 2026–2027 "China-Russia Years of Education," establish a practical exchange platform for Chinese and Russian universities, build consensus on the high-quality development of internationalized higher education between China and Russia, and clarify the priority for the next phase of work. The meeting played a positive role in advancing China-Russia educational cooperation, promoting people-to-people and cultural exchanges, and serving the national strategy of educational opening-up. It also injected educational momentum into the sustained and healthy development of the China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership for a new era.

The China-Russia Friendship Committee for Peace and Development is a non-governmental friendship organization initiated by the heads of state of China and Russia in April 1997, with strong support from both governments. The Committee serves as a primary channel for non-governmental friendly exchanges between China and Russia, attracting representatives from various sectors of both societies. It has made substantial contributions to promoting enduring friendship, deepening cooperation, and facilitating people-to-people interactions between the two countries.