On the morning of July 16, the 2026 “Open SJZU” Overseas Young Expert Talent Recruitment Shijiazhuang Activity, hosted by our university, was inaugurated in the First Lecture Hall of the Library. Party Committee Secretary Chen Liang, President Wang Yongqin, and Deputy Party Committee Secretary Ji Lihuai attended the opening ceremony. This event gathered 24 overseas experts and scholars from 12 countries, including the United States, Germany, France, Russia, the Czech Republic, and Sri Lanka. Over 300 participants attended, including officials from relevant provincial and municipal units such as the Research Office of the Hebei Provincial Government, the Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan, Overseas Affairs Committee of the Hebei Provincial Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, the Organization Department of the Shijiazhuang Municipal Committee, the Shijiazhuang Municipal Bureau of Science and Technology, the Shijiazhuang Municipal Administration for Market Regulation, and the Shijiazhuang Municipal Investment Promotion Bureau, as well as representatives from enterprises, research institutions, and overseas talent think tanks.

In his welcome speech, Chen Liang pointed out that the integrated advancement of education, science and technology, and talent is the core support for promoting high-quality development. As the central hub for talent cultivation and scientific innovation, universities bear the important mission of deepening international cooperation and empowering local development. Shijiazhuang University has consistently adhered to its mission of being locally oriented, application-focused, and internationally engaged, fully implementing the “1396” development strategy. It has now established stable cooperative relationships with 73 universities across 19 countries and regions worldwide. He expressed his hope that this event would serve as abond to deepen multi-party exchanges and collaboration, facilitate the implementation of talent and intellectual recruitment, and international scientific research cooperation, achieving mutual benefits and win-win outcomes.

Dong Peng, Deputy Director of the Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan, Overseas Chinese and Foreign Affairs Committee of the Hebei Provincial Political Consultative Conference, attended the event and delivered a speech. He stated that this event will further broaden the international exchange channels of the school, promote the gathering of more high-level talents, scientific research projects, and innovative resources in Hebei. The Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan, Overseas Chinese and Foreign Affairs Committee of the Provincial Political Consultative Conference will continue to support international exchanges and cooperation among universities within the province, optimize the system for foreign experts to work and provide services in Hebei, and promote the improvement and efficiency of Hebei’s opening-up work. Four foreign experts from Sri Lanka, Russia, Czech Republic, and France combined their respective academic fields to share cutting-edge international academic concepts, the latest scientific research achievements, and innovative practical experience.

In the keynote speech segment, the attending guests conducted in-depth discussions and gathered consensus on the theme of opening up to the outside world and high-quality regional development. Liu Xiaojun, Counselor of the Hebei Provincial Government Counselor’s Office and President of the Provincial International Exchange Promotion Association, takes Shijiazhuang’s internationalization construction as the starting point to deeply analyze the implementation path and development direction of the internationalization upgrade of the provincial capital city; Zheng Jie, former deputy director of the Training Center of the State Administration of Foreign Experts Affairs and deputy director of the China International Talent Exchange Foundation, based on the national strategic dimension, systematically interprets the inherent relationship and practical essence of opening up to the outside world, pragmatic cooperation, and regional high-quality development. The Shijiazhuang Investment Promotion Bureau conducted a special lecture to comprehensively promote Shijiazhuang’s high-quality business environment, perfect talent policy system, and industrial development advantages, and issued sincere cooperation invitations to young talents at home and abroad.

After the opening ceremony, the round table conference on industry university research cooperation was successfully held. At the event, the overseas youth expert team had face-to-face negotiations with key teachers from Shijiazhuang University, leaders of key enterprises in Shijiazhuang, and key personnel from scientific research institutions. Through precise cooperation and efficient empowerment, they laid a solid foundation for subsequent normalized, deep level, and substantive cooperation, effectively promoting the precise adaptation and implementation of overseas talents, technology, intellectual resources, and local development needs. On the afternoon of the 16th, Professor Karen M. Feng Danen from Xi’an Electronic Science and Technology University was specially invited to give a special report on the application of artificial intelligence in scientific research and writing: rational use and academic risks for our young doctoral teachers.

From July 16th to 18th, the overseas youth expert team also visited well-known leading enterprises in the province, such as Junlebao Dairy, Luoshanqi Food, and Jinfeng Braised Chicken, to visit their production workshops, research and development centers, and innovation laboratories. They gained a detailed understanding of the development scale, technological innovation achievements, and industrial chain layout advantages of Hebei's food industry and modern agriculture, and experienced the strong momentum of high-quality development and industrial innovation vitality of Shijiazhuang’s real economy up close. In addition, the expert team visited Tayuanzhuang Village in Zhengding, Tongfu Rural Revitalization Park, and Songhui Village Grape Planting Base in Huangbeiping Township, Zanhuang County. The diverse on-site inspection experience enables overseas experts to fully understand the industrial advantages, cultural charm, and development potential of Shijiazhuang, laying a solid cognitive foundation for expanding cooperation areas and deepening multidimensional cooperation in the future.

The successful hosting of the “Open SJZU” Shijiazhuang Tour of Overseas Youth Expert Talent Recruitmentin 2026 is an importantmeasure for our school to establish its educational positioning and actively serve the high-quality development of the provincial and municipal economy and society. The activity effectively builds a communication bridge for overseas talents to understand, integrate into, and empower Hebei, continuously expanding our university’s international cooperation “circle of friends”. In the future, our universitywill deeply implement the “1396” development strategy, continue to build the “Open SJZU” brand, expand the opening up of high-level education to the outside world, and jointly write a new chapter in international education cooperation and technological innovation.

（Contributed by: International Exchange and Cooperation Center, International Exchange College Written by: Yuan Huafei）