XJTLU celebrates 20th anniversary with High-Quality Development Conference and new 10-year strategic plan

On 22 May, Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University held the 20th Anniversary High-Quality Development Conference.

The conference reviewed the University’s 20-year educational journey, officially released the XJTLU Strategic Plan 2026-2036, and launched the University’s anthem, “Onwards We Go”.

Officials and guests from China’s Ministry of Education, the Jiangsu Provincial Department of Education, the Suzhou Municipal Government, and city of Liverpool, together with leaders and scholars from Xi’an Jiaotong University, the University of Liverpool, and nearly 20 Sino-foreign cooperative and overseas universities, as well as the University’s strategic partners, key contributors, alumni, representatives from nearly 30 national, provincial and municipal media outlets, including China Media Group, Guangming Daily, China Daily and China News Service, gathered to celebrate XJTLU’s achievements over the past 20 years.

Xinsheng Zhang, former Vice Minister of the Ministry of Education (2000-2009), Chair of the UNESCO Executive Board (174th-177th Sessions), and President and Chairman of the Council and General Assembly of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) (2012-2021)

In his address, Xinsheng Zhang, former Vice Minister of the Ministry of Education (2000-2009), Chair of the UNESCO Executive Board (174th-177th Sessions), and President and Chairman of the Council and General Assembly of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) (2012-2021), said XJTLU was among China’s earliest independent Sino-foreign joint universities and represented an important step in opening up Chinese higher education. He described the University as a “beacon” for educational innovation and said its next phase of development comes at a critical moment shaped by global change and AI.

Dan Yang, Director-General of the Ministry of Education’s Department of International Cooperation and Exchange

Dan Yang, Director-General of the Ministry of Education’s Department of International Cooperation and Exchange, said XJTLU has successfully integrated Chinese and Western educational strengths over the past 20 years and encouraged it to continue exploring new education models, strengthening industry collaboration, and cultivating globally minded graduates.

Yong Jiang, Director-General of the Jiangsu Provincial Department of Education, Secretary of the Party Leadership Group, and Secretary of the Education Working Party Committee of the Jiangsu Provincial Committee

Both the city of Suzhou and the wider Jiangsu province have been instrumental to XJTLU’s success. Yong Jiang, Director-General of the Jiangsu Provincial Department of Education, Secretary of the Party Leadership Group, and Secretary of the Education Working Party Committee of the Jiangsu Provincial Committee, described XJTLU as “a flagship of Jiangsu’s educational openness”. He said the University has made important contributions to talent development, educational reform, and international collaboration. He expressed hope that it would continue supporting Jiangsu’s high-quality development and global engagement.

Yingdong Zha, Deputy Mayor of Suzhou

Speaking on behalf of one of XJTLU’s parent institutions, Professor Liqun Zhang, President of Xi’an Jiaotong University and Academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, said the founding of XJTLU reflected both the globalisation of higher education and the University’s commitment to international cooperation. He praised XJTLU for creating “a distinctive path in Sino-foreign joint education” and said Xi’an Jiaotong University would continue supporting its future growth and partnership with the University of Liverpool.

Professor Liqun Zhang, President of Xi’an Jiaotong University and Academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering

Professor Tim Jones, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Liverpool, recalled that XJTLU started with an inaugural cohort of 164 students in 2006 and has now grown to nearly 26,000 students.

He commended the University’s remarkable achievements in blending the educational advantages of East and West, in cultivating talent, in driving research innovation, and in serving as a bridge for UK-China cooperation, saying: “XJTLU has become, in my view, the most successful transnational education venture globally.”

Professor Tim Jones, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Liverpool

In his address, Professor Wenquan Tao, President of XJTLU, reflected on the University’s growth, noting that XJTLU has evolved from a “one-building university” into a Sino-foreign cooperative university with an open and modern campus, and a highly internationalised educational approach.

Looking ahead, he emphasised: “Innovation is forever embedded in the DNA of all XJTLUers.”

Professor Wenquan Tao, President of XJTLU

The new 10-year strategic plan

At the conference, Professor Youmin Xi, Executive President of XJTLU, officially announced the XJTLU Strategic Plan 2026-2036. In the next phase, XJTLU will shift from building on its 3.0 model to honing the 4.0 model.

Professor Qiuling Chao, Vice President of XJTLU, was the event's host

With this new phase, XJTLU aims to create an ecosystem for the future, breaking down boundaries between university and society, education and life, and learning and work.

Professor Youmin Xi, Executive President of XJTLU

The strategic plan involves building on several key projects, such as the partnership with Charoen Pokphand Group (CP Group) in Thailand, the Hainan international education pilot project, the Wuhan Optics Valley experiment, and a new university-enterprise cooperation in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.

The conference also saw several talks from XJTLU’s partners.

Xiaoping Yang, Senior Vice Chairman of CP Group and CEO of CP Group China

Yingdong Zha, Deputy Mayor of Suzhou, said XJTLU has grown alongside Suzhou over the past two decades and become “a leading force in Sino-foreign joint education”. He said the University plays an important role in innovation, industrial development, and international exchange, and expressed hope that it would further strengthen the city’s global connections.

Lin An, Director of the Alibaba Cloud Technology Research Center

Xiaoping Yang, Senior Vice Chairman of CP Group and CEO of CP Group China, said XJTLU’s development should be viewed within the broader context of China-ASEAN cooperation, AI-driven industrial transformation, and global talent development.

He said the most important future skills will go beyond specialised knowledge to include global vision, cross-cultural communication, industry insight, collaboration, and innovation – areas that align closely with XJTLU’s educational focus.

Guoquan Liu, Assistant Director of the National Innovation Center par Excellence

Lin An, Director of the Alibaba Cloud Technology Research Center, said AI is rapidly reshaping industries and lowering the barriers to innovation. “The most valuable future skills are not just coding,” he said. “They are independent thinking, critical thinking, lifelong learning, and the ability to turn ideas into practice.”

Guoquan Liu, Assistant Director of the National Innovation Center par Excellence, highlighted the centre’s partnership with XJTLU and said the jointly established XJTLU-JITRI Academy has become “a model for industry-education integration” in the Yangtze River Delta.

Outstanding contributors of XJTLU

The conference also saw the official launch of the University’s anthem, “Onwards We Go”. Initiated by Professor Youmin Xi at the end of 2024, the project embraced the co-creation philosophy of “By XJTLUers, for XJTLUers, for education” with nearly 200 staff members, students, and alumni participating in everything from lyrics and composition to music production.

The XJTLU Chorus singing the University anthem

A poetry and prose performance by staff, students and alumni, titled "Twenty Years, One Heart"

Annual Conference on Higher Education Innovation held concurrently

During the same period, from 21 to 24 May, the 11th Annual Conference on Higher Education Innovation & the Final of the 11th XJTLU National University Teaching Innovation Award was held at XJTLU Entrepreneur College (Taicang). With the theme “From Knowledge Transmission to Value Creation”, the conference featured keynote speeches, panel discussions, book launches, teaching innovation competition finals, and workshops.

During the event, Professor Zhang of Xi’an Jiaotong University, Professor Jones of the University of Liverpool, and Professor Xi of XJTLU engaged in deep dialogues on internationalisation in cooperative education and future education, further showcasing XJTLU’s continuous exploration in Syntegrative Education, industry-education integration, and pedagogical innovation.

By Bo Kou
Translated by Yi Qian and Xinmin Han
Edited by Patricia Pieterse and Vionna Fiducia Theja