The 9th Higher Education Foreign Language Education Reform and Development Forum took place in Beijing from March 22 to 23. Jointly organized by Beijing Foreign Studies University (BFSU), the Foreign Language and Literature Teaching Advisory Board under the Ministry of Education (MOE), and the College English Teaching Advisory Board under the MOE, the forum focused on advancing excellence in foreign language education in a globalized world.

Jia Wenjian, BFSU president and deputy secretary of the CPC BFSU committee, delivers the opening speech. [Photo/bfsu.edu.cn]

Jia Wenjian, BFSU president and deputy secretary of the CPC BFSU committee, delivered the opening speech. He highlighted BFSU's commitment to supporting national strategies and advancing global education governance. Jia described the forum as a platform for driving change and fostering innovation, expressing his hope that participants would contribute their insights and collaborate to advance higher foreign language education.

The Global Language Service Platform is officially released at the 9th Higher Education Foreign Language Education Reform and Development Forum. [Photo/bfsu.edu.cn]

At the forum, BFSU launched the Global Language Service Platform. Developed under the guidance of the National Development and Reform Commission and the MOE, the platform is an intelligent, integrated system for language services, offering resource display, search, distribution, evaluation, and service functions. It is designed to support China's high-quality opening-up strategy and the Belt and Road Initiative, enhance global communication capabilities, and foster innovation in foreign language talent training to meet national and societal needs.

The forum featured nine specialized sub-forums and three advisory board forums, exploring strategies for transforming higher foreign language education and cultivating top-tier talent.

The 2025 FLTRP·ETIC Cup "Understanding Contemporary China" National Foreign Language Contest for College Students is launched at the 9th Higher Education Foreign Language Education Reform and Development Forum. [Photo/bfsu.edu.cn]

During the event, the 2025 FLTRP·ETIC Cup "Understanding Contemporary China" National Foreign Language Contest for College Students was officially launched. This year's competition introduces two new themes: the short video category "Beautiful China" and the designated speech topic "Strike the Waves".

The forum also marked the release of "Understanding Contemporary China: An Integrated Course for College English" and the "Four New" college English textbook series, covering New Agriculture Sciences, New Engineering, New Medical Sciences, and New Liberal Arts.

The event brought together over 2,200 experts and scholars in higher foreign language education across the nation, with more than 300,000 foreign language educators participating online. Many universities organized collective viewing sessions for their foreign language faculty. The forum is widely regarded as a valuable opportunity to exchange ideas on advancing a globally competitive higher foreign language education system and fostering the field's high-quality growth.