On May 22, the Council Meeting of Jiangsu Inter-University Association for the Development of International Communication was convened at Nanjing University. Tan Tieniu, Chair of NJU CPC Council, Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Chairman of the Association, chaired the council meeting and delivered a speech. Officials attending the event included Xu Ning, Deputy Director of the Publicity Department of the Jiangsu Provincial Party Committee; Jin Shangjun, Deputy Director of the Foreign Affairs Office of Jiangsu Provincial People's Government, and Cui Chunxia, Second-level Inspector of the Jiangsu Education Department.
The matter concerning the admission of new council members (member universities) to the Association was considered and approved, bringing the total number of member universities to 22. The meeting also elected the new council members, with Tan Tieniu being re-elected as Chairman, and 22 university representatives elected as Vice-chairpersons.
The First Meeting of the Second Council of the Association was subsequently held. The Secretariat of the Alliance presented a report on the progress of its work, summarizing the positive contributions made by the Association since its establishment in 2023 in serving China's overall publicity objectives and telling China's and Jiangsu's stories well across seven aspects. Matters such as the establishment of a sub-association for international students under the Association, the establishment of the first group of international student practice bases, the nomination of "Jiangsu Communication Ambassadors," and the list of excellent cases of international communication by Jiangsu universities in 2025 were reviewed and approved.
In his speech, Tan Tieniu emphasized that since its establishment, the Association has made major achievements through the concerted efforts of all member universities.The influence, cohesion, and appeal of the Association have been continuously enhanced, injecting strong impetus into the development of international communication capacity for Jiangsu universities.
Tan Tieniu outlined the key tasks for the next phase of the Association's work, and stressed that as the lead institution, NJU will continue to play a coordinating role to ensure the development of the Association. He expressed his hope that member universities would solidify their national perspectives, expand their global outlooks, and enhance their unique characteristics while making new and greater contributions to constructing a culturally and educationally strong nation and promoting the building of a shared future for mankind.
On behalf of the Publicity Department of Jiangsu Provicial Party Committee, Xu Ning extended warm congratulations on the successful re-election of the Association's Council and expressed gratitude to member universities for their efforts in Jiangsu's international communication work. Facing new development opportunities, Xu expressed her hope for the new Council to serve as a fresh starting point for collaboration and commitment, raising the construction level of the Association to empower Jiangsu universities to play a more active role in enhancing Chinese cultural influence and supporting the nation's external publicity efforts.
At the thought exchange session, Chen Yunsong, Deputy Chair of NJU CPC Council, highlighted that the Association has been rooted in Jiangsu's fertile cultural landscape since its establishment, yielding influential and inspiring international communication achievements. He expressed the desire to strengthen coordinated academic themes, resource sharing, talent cultivation, and branding efforts with other universities in the Association to jointly contribute to the advancement of global civilization and welfare.
To further integrate high-quality resources from Jiangsu universities and consolidate communication forces, the Association officially launched the Sub-Association for International Student. Xu Ning, Chen Yunsong, and several other university officials jointly witnessed the lauching ceremony.
The event also featured an awards ceremony where the honorary title of "Jiangsu Grace Communication Talent'" was conferred on 24 outstanding student representatives from member universities.
The event formally designated seven institutions including NJU's John Rabe and International Safety Zone Memorial Hall, as the first international student practice bases under the Association.
The council also announced and awarded 10 outstanding international communication cases by Jiangsu universities for 2025.
Ban Chao, a Jiangsu university international student representative and doctoral student at NJU, shared his personal story of connecting civilizations between China and Africa.
In the keynote report session, Wang Shouren, University Distinguished Professor in Humanities and Social Sciences at NJU and Chairman of the Academic Committee of the Jiangsu Universities International Communication Joint Research Institute, addressed issues and best practices in English website construction by universities from the perspective of international communication. Separately, Qiu Yuanyuan, Secretary-General of Jiangsu Broadcasting Corporation's InJiangsu International Communication Center, shared experience in cultural dialogue and youth engagement in international communication.
In the case-sharing session, representatives from NJU, Southeast University, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, and Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine presented lively examples of their respective institutions' initiatives in international communication.
The event was chaired by Wen Yu, Member of the Standing Committee of the CPC NJU Committee, Director of the Publicity Department of the CPC NJU Committee, and Director of the United Front Work Department of the CPC NJU Committee, who also serves as Secretary-General of the Association. The event brought together relevant leaders from 22 member universities, heads of departments, staff representatives, international students, and provincial and municipal media representatives.
