BFSU hosts the CCAS 2023 Spring Academic Seminar on April 28. [Photo/bfsu.edu.cn]

The Consortium of Country and Area Studies (CCAS) 2023 Spring Academic Seminar, hosted by Beijing Foreign Studies University (BFSU), was held online and offline on April 28. The theme of the conference was "Promoting the Development of Country and Area Studies through International Cooperation".

Jin Liqun, president of the AIIB, delivers an opening speech at the CCAS 2023 Spring Academic Seminar on April 28. [Photo/bfsu.edu.cn]

In his opening speech, Jin Liqun, president of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), reviewed the history of multilateral mechanisms and said that multilateralism and multilateral cooperation are currently facing crises. He noted that it is therefore necessary to build the discipline of country and area studies.

Jin advocated strengthening cross-cultural understanding and integration among different countries and spoke highly of BFSU's strengths in teaching multiple languages, stating that languages are key in cross-cultural understanding and equal communication.

Yang Dan, president of BFSU, deputy secretary of the CPC BFSU committee and head of the Academy of Regional and Global Governance at BFSU, gives a keynote speech at the CCAS 2023 Spring Academic Seminar on April 28. [Photo/bfsu.edu.cn]

Yang Dan, president of BFSU, deputy secretary of the CPC BFSU committee and head of the Academy of Regional and Global Governance at BFSU, said in his keynote speech that the discipline of country and area studies is an important foundation for achieving the concept of "Better Understanding, Better World", and that the construction of the discipline itself will promote international cultural exchanges and cooperation, help build a network for global scholars to conduct academic dialogues, connect research on one's own country, target countries, regional studies and global studies, and facilitate mutual understanding among peoples of all countries, so that all parts of the world can be equally recognized.

Yang analyzed the causes of the uneven development of country and area studies, and explained the vision of "making the world equally recognized" in country and area studies. He proposed a plan made by BFSU to promote the balanced development of the discipline through global collaboration, which highlights global languages, culture, wisdom and practice.

China's country and area studies aim to achieve mutual cooperation and share development dividends, which will reserve multitiered and high-level talents for the deepening of the Belt and Road Initiative and promote world peace and development through equal international exchanges and cooperation, Yang added.

Abdyrakhmanov Tolobek Abylovich, rector of Kyrgyz National University (KNU), congratulated the organizers on the holding of the conference and said that the topics covered were of great academic significance and provided useful references for the development of KNU.

Alisher Abidjanov, vice-rector of Uzbek State World Languages University, stated that as a member of the Global Alliance of Foreign Studies Universities (GAFSU), the university has been committed to deepening international academic cooperation.

The construction of country and area studies has offered an important opportunity for the transformation of foreign language universities, Abidjanov added, and shared the hope of deepening cooperation with BFSU in the cultivation of related talents.

The CCAS should promote equal international exchanges and cooperation, deepen global governance system reform, strengthen research on related global issues, and enhance dialogues, communication and mutual learning between Chinese and foreign scholars, according to those who participated in the conference.

The participants said that global scholars should give full play to their disciplinary advantages, gather strength from all over the world, promote deeper academic cooperation with a broader vision and more diverse research methods and themes, and jointly promote the development of country and area studies.

Zhao Gang, a member of the standing committee of the CPC BFSU committee and vice-president of the university, gives a concluding speech at the CCAS 2023 Spring Academic Seminar on April 28. [Photo/bfsu.edu.cn]

In his concluding speech, Zhao Gang, a member of the standing committee of the CPC BFSU committee and vice-president of the university, said that the development and focus of country and area studies vary slightly in different countries and regions, and that international cooperation among countries has become a necessary condition for promoting the development of the discipline.

International cooperation can boost the exchanges and sharing of knowledge, improve scholars' research ability, and facilitate resource sharing and mutual benefits, Zhao added.

He also invited experts and scholars to gather in Beijing again in September to further discuss the development of country and area studies.

The CCAS is an international academic network initiated by the GAFSU, and consists of renowned scholars from over 180 countries working in more than 100 languages. It was established in Beijing on April 29, 2022. Adhering to the principles of "Diversity in Perspectives, Inclusiveness in Coverage, Originality in Research, and Depth in Understanding", the consortium is committed to advancing interdisciplinary research related to country and area studies, promoting the development of knowledge systems, and responding to new realities, issues and challenges at national, regional and global levels.