The International Education Management Conference 2026 (IEMC) was held in Lingshui, Hainan from October 31 to November 2. President Song Wenlong and Li Mingze, Member of the Standing Committee of the University Party Committee and Vice President, led a delegation to attend the conference. Participants conducted in-depth discussions on cutting-edge topics including cooperation models, quality assurance, academic innovation and artificial intelligence, reaching broad consensus to support the development of Hainan Free Trade Port and the Hainan International Education Innovation Island.
Co-hosted by our university, the Australian Institute for Future Education (AIFE) and the Administration Bureau of Hainan Lingshui Li’an International Education Innovation Pilot Zone, the conference themed “Reshaping the Future: Innovation and Transformation in Cross-border Education” brought together approximately 200 representatives from universities and the education sector across China and the globe.
The conference officially opened at 8:35 a.m. in a warm atmosphere. Zhang Huawei, Secretary of the CPC Lingshui Li Autonomous County Committee, Secretary of the Party Committee and Director of the Administration Bureau of Li’an International Education Innovation Pilot Zone, delivered an address introducing the progress achieved in the construction of the Hainan Education Innovation Pilot Zone.
In his opening address, Song Wenlong expressed gratitude to the Australian Institute for Future Education (AIFE), the Education Department of Hainan Province, the Administration Bureau of Lingshui Pilot Zone and all partners for their strong support for the development of the university’s education initiatives. He introduced the distinctive features of Northeast Forestry University and its achievements in international cooperative education. Looking ahead, NEFU will continue to deepen international exchanges and cooperation, steadily improve the quality of Chinese-foreign cooperative education, further integrate into the development of the Hainan Lingshui Li’an International Education Innovation Pilot Zone, and contribute NEFU’s strength to the development of Hainan International Education Innovation Island and the Hainan Free Trade Port.
During the conference, the Joint International Research Laboratory for the Development and Utilization of Forest Food and Medicinal Resources, co-established by Hainan International College and AIFE, was officially inaugurated. Rooted in Hainan’s forest food and medicinal resources, the laboratory will advance interdisciplinary research, international collaborative research, high-value resource conversion, translation of scientific achievements and joint talent training, and build an open platform for international scientific research cooperation.
Professor Ma Keping, Chair of the Bureau of the International Coordinating Council of the UNESCO Man and the Biosphere Programme, Member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Director of the University’s Northeast Asia Biodiversity Research Center, put forward an initiative to establish the Hainan International Biodiversity Research Center at the opening ceremony, so as to link scientific research with conservation policies.
Professor Ian Young, Chancellor of AIFE, introduced AIFE’s practices in advancing cross-border education development through international collaboration and study pathways.
Li Mingze, Member of the Standing Committee of the University Party Committee and Vice President, presided over the inauguration ceremony for the Cooperative Education Programme in Information and Computing Science and the ICC International Credit Centre, jointly launched by Xilin College, Hainan Aolin College and Birkbeck, University of London. Relevant leaders present at the ceremony jointly unveiled the plaques.
Professor Sally Wheeler, President of Birkbeck, University of London, reviewed the college’s educational history and expressed gratitude to Northeast Forestry University and President Song Wenlong for selecting Birkbeck as its partner.
Professor Wang Jing, Founder and Executive Director of AIFE, announced the establishment of the AIFE Cross-border Education Collaborative Research Centre, of which our university is a member. She also presented the governance structure and three-year development roadmap of the research centre.
At the President’s Forum, Dr. Erik Lithander, Vice-Chancellor (Strategic Partnerships) of the University of Auckland, Professor Huang Zhifan, Vice President of Jiangxi University of Science and Technology, Dr. David Craig from the University of Canterbury, Professor Xiao Songshan, Assistant to the President of Tianjin University, Professor Ronald White, Acting Deputy Vice-Chancellor of James Cook University, Professor Wang Linqing, Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee of China University of Geosciences (Wuhan), and Professor Liu Yunhe, President of Xi’an University of Technology delivered keynote speeches on themes including cooperation models and quality assurance, as well as the sustainable development of cross-border education.
A talent appointment ceremony for Hainan International College was held concurrently. Professor Liu Zhiming, Dean of Aolin College and Hainan International College, presided over the ceremony and announced the appointment of six international scholars as adjunct professors, associate professors, Academic Deans and other positions. Li Mingze presented the letters of appointment. This marks a new step in talent team development for Hainan International College jointly established by the University and AIFE.
In the closing address, Professor Iain Watt, President of AIFE, reviewed the evolution of the Hainan Education Innovation Pilot Zone from a greenfield site into a modern campus bringing together universities worldwide. He expressed his anticipation of working with all parties to shape the future of education in the Pilot Zone and across the globe.
On the afternoon of November 1, Li Mingze delivered a keynote speech at the sub-forum themed “Partnerships and Collaboration”.
At the thematic forum “Academic Innovation and Teaching Excellence”, Professor Zhang Mingjin, Vice Dean of the University’s Aolin College, shared the cooperative education practices and teaching philosophies of Aolin College.
Over the three-day event, through in-depth engagement in dialogues on international education governance, pragmatic advancement of inter-university project cooperation, and improvement of the management mechanism for Chinese-foreign cooperative education institutions, the University has further expanded its scope of international cooperative education. It also conveyed to the world NEFU’s educational ethos rooted in forest resources and oriented toward the globe. Going forward, the University will continue to embrace new transformations in cross-border education with a more open and inclusive mindset, contributing more “NEFU insights” to the development of Hainan International Education Innovation Island and the Hainan Free Trade Port. (Text: Guanghui DONG)
