New university school focuses on intl development cooperation

The newly unveiled School of International Development Cooperation at the University of International Business and Economics plans to form a comprehensive program of undergraduate, master's and doctoral studies by September this year.

The new school aims to foster interdisciplinary international development majors, and cultivate multilevel talents to serve in think tanks to help solve international cooperation issues.

In order to achieve this goal, a seminar gathering more than 30 scholars and official was just held on Monday, aiming to collect expert suggestions on how to attract more talent to promote the discipline and review the school's newly designed curriculum.

The seminar focused on three major themes, including the discussion of advanced international development cooperation theory, specific construction approaches for the newly unveiled school, and its talent training mode.

Jiang Qingzhe, Party chief of UIBE, said at the seminar that the school's construction was a response to President Xi's philosophy of building a community with a shared future for all mankind.

Relying on several leading disciplines, UIBE will give full play to its advantages and more than 40 years' of experience on economic and trade teaching and research to construct a leading major for our nation's international development cooperation, Jiang added.

To make use of the school's strengths to serve students, many scholars advised the new school to set basic macroeconomics and microeconomics as well as international relations courses for undergraduate students.

"I firmly recommend UIBE to set a combined bachelor-master's degree program in the new school for the purpose of systematical cultivation," said Zhou Hong, a deputy director of the Academic Division of International Studies in the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. She suggested the school pay more attention to fostering interdisciplinary majors for further innovation, and set up top-level study societies with national impact to attract more talent as faculty members.

The school, relying on mature theoretical databases as well as innovative institutional mechanisms, will teach students the knowledge of trade, investment and finance, and how these factors influence global development.

From a career perspective, Wang Chengan, former vice-president of China Society for World Trade Organization Studies, confirmed that professional talents are needed in the process of globalization for not only China, but also other developing countries and international organizations.

During the seminar, representatives of some universities and colleges showed an interest in working together with UIBE to jointly promote the new school, which would help cultivate more multilevel talents.

According to Yu Lijun, head of the School of International Development Cooperation, "Setting up this school will maximize our academic advantages that already exist. In the future, we will push forward the construction of international development cooperation disciplines, and cultivate talents to better serve our national strategy."

Zhang Hanzhi contributed to this story.