Tianjin Foreign Studies University is hosting an Advanced Training Programme for senior academics and administrators from Pakistani higher education institutions under the CPEC Consortium. The two-week programme brings a delegation of faculty from across Pakistan to Tianjin to deepen cooperation in higher education and expand collaboration in areas such as artificial intelligence and information technology.
The opening ceremony was attended by President of Tianjin Foreign Studies University Li Yingying, Vice President Zhu Pengxiao, Deputy Secretary-General of the China Association of Higher Education Gao Xiaojie, a senior official from the Tianjin Municipal Education Commission, Ambassador of Pakistan to China Khalil Hashmi and Director General (Global Engagement) HEC Pakistan Aayesha Ikram. Faculty members from universities across Pakistan make up the delegation participating in this programme.
President Li highlighted the growing partnership between HEC Pakistan and the China Association of Higher Education and described the programme as a practical example of cooperation under the CPEC Consortium. She emphasised that the training is intended to share knowledge, promote educational development and strengthen people-to-people exchange, while noting the importance of preparing academics for an era increasingly shaped by artificial intelligence.
Representing HEC Pakistan, Director General (Global Engagement) Aayesha Ikram thanked the hosts for facilitating the Advanced Training Programme and said the delegation was keen to learn from China’s achievements in education, technology and innovation. Ms. Ikram noted that HEC’s overseas scholarships have supported more than 300 PhD scholars and numerous postdoctoral researchers to pursue advanced studies in China and pointed to initiatives such as the CPEC Consortium and the China-Pakistan Joint Research Centre on Earth Sciences at Quaid-i-Azam University as evidence of deepening academic collaboration.
Deputy Secretary-General Gao Xiaojie described the partnership between the two countries as an important foundation for higher education cooperation and outlined how the CPEC Consortium has grown from 18 to 130 member institutions since 2017. She said the consortium is prioritising collaborative research, capacity building and talent development in fields including AI, international engineering, cultural modernization and regional studies, and that current efforts aim to train personnel in AI and smart manufacturing to seize opportunities in the intelligent era.
A video message from Ambassador Khalil Hashmi underscored the long-standing friendship and strategic partnership between Pakistan and China across multiple sectors, including higher education. Participants and hosts agreed that the training under the CPEC Consortium will reinforce academic ties, foster joint research in priority areas and deepen cultural and professional exchanges between Pakistani and Chinese institutions.
