Twenty-four senior academics from Pakistani universities completed a two-week advanced CPEC training at Tianjin Foreign Studies University in Tianjin, China, organized under the CPEC University Consortium. The programme brought Pakistani faculty into close contact with Chinese approaches to digital education and intelligent manufacturing, offering practical insight into technology-driven teaching and campus innovation.
The opening ceremony was attended by Li Yingying, President of Tianjin Foreign Studies University, Zhu Pengxiao, Vice President of TFSU, and Aayesha Ikram, Director General of the Global Engagement Division at the Higher Education Commission Pakistan. Their participation underscored the institutional support behind the CPEC training initiative.
President Li described the two-week exchange as a journey of exploration, noting that participants engaged with AI-empowered education, the inheritance of craftmanship spirit, and observed intelligent manufacturing facilities. She encouraged trainees to apply learning to lead digital transformation in Pakistani universities, contribute to the high-quality development of CPEC, and strengthen China-Pakistan people-to-people connectivity. The programme was also included among activities marking 75 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
Aayesha Ikram highlighted HEC’s mandate to enhance inclusion and access, academic quality, and relevance and impact across Pakistan’s higher education system. She said that running a second advanced training within two months reflects strong trust and momentum in bilateral academic cooperation and the value of the CPEC training pathway.
Deputy Secretary-General of the China Association of Higher Education, Gao Xiaojie, emphasised the friendship between China and Pakistan and the Consortium’s role in collaborative research, capacity building, and talent development in areas such as AI, international engineering, cultural modernisation, and regional studies.
Representative trainee Dr. Abdul Samad of Loralai University thanked organisers for the enriching experience, saying the programme provided valuable perspectives on digital transformation in Chinese higher education. Participants returned to Pakistan with concrete ideas to adapt teaching practices and research collaborations, aiming to translate the CPEC training experience into tangible benefits for students and institutions at home.
