On December 27, the People’s Daily 2024 University Presidents Forum was held at the People’s Daily headquarters in Beijing. With the theme “Promoting the Integrated Development of Education, Technology, and Talent to Accelerate the Building of a Strong Educational System,” the forum drew leaders from over 100 universities nationwide for a series of high-level discussions. Xu Lijing, Deputy Editor-in-Chief of People’s Daily, Gao Bin, Deputy Director of the Higher Education Department of the Ministry of Education, and Li Nan, Vice President and Secretary-General of the China Association of Higher Education, attended and delivered speeches. Among the invited guests was Xu Qiang, President of Chengdu University of Technology (CDUT), who also addressed the gathering.

Site of the People’s Daily 2024 University Presidents Forum

During the session titled “Strengthening Development for Top-Tier Talents and Stimulating the Driving Force of Technological Innovation in Universities,” Xu exchanged ideas with university leaders from Southeast University, Shenyang Aerospace University, Hebei University of Chinese Medicine, Southwest University of Political Science and Law, and Beijing International Studies University.

Site of the Session

Xu emphasized that universities are the incubators of technological innovation and key arenas for nurturing innovative talents. To cultivate top-tier talent, he advocated for the construction of a personalized educational framework that prioritizes the development of students’ innovation awareness, creative thinking, and critical analysis skills. Moreover, he called for the dismantling of barriers between traditional academic disciplines, urging instead the promotion of cross-disciplinary collaboration. In his vision, digital technologies should empower education, with students engaging directly with real-world environments such as factories, construction sites, and major engineering projects. The goal is to train more experts, strategic scientists, skilled craftsmen, and high-level technical professionals. He also shared CDUT’s own approaches in cultivating top-tier talents, including educational reforms, optimized talent development programs, and fostering innovation through competitions.

Xu Qiang Delivers a Speech

The forum has been held ten times so far. This year, it featured four thematic discussions: “Deepening Comprehensive Reform in Higher Education Around the Fundamental Task of Fostering Virtue through Education,” “Strengthening Development for Top-Tier Talents and Stimulating the Driving Force of Technological Innovation in Universities,” “Enhancing the Integration of Education and Technology, Accelerating the Transformation of Scientific Achievements into Productivity,” and “Promoting the Digital Transformation of Higher Education and Creating New Advantages for Educational Development.”