32 Global Top Universities Discuss International Education Cooperation under the APEC Framework at CUHK–Shenzhen

March 02, 2026 International Exchange

After APEC officially named Shenzhen the host city for its 2026 Economic Leaders' Meeting, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen (CUHK-Shenzhen) took the lead by hosting a high-profile "Spring Global Partner Day" on February 28, embodying APEC's core values of "Openness, Innovation, and Cooperation".

The event gathered 49 distinguished guests from 19 countries and regions worldwide, representing 32 top-tier institutions including University of California, Berkeley, University of Toronto, The London School of Economics and Political Science, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Toulouse Business School, University of Otago, Macquarie University, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, National Chengchi University (Taiwan, China), Sophia University, and Hanyang University. Among attendees were 4 university-level leaders and 21 deans or department heads, with over 80% visiting Shenzhen for the first time.

At the opening ceremony, Vice President of CUHK-Shenzhen, Zhu Shiping extended a welcome to guests and outlined the university's development. Over 12 years since its founding, the University has evolved into an educational system comprising 8 schools, 1 graduate school, and 8 residential colleges, with over 12,000 students. International undergraduates account for over 13%. In international collaboration, CUHK-Shenzhen has developed 290 international programmes with 163 world-leading universities across 37 countries and regions. The university is committed to building a first-class research university, serving the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, China as a whole, and the wider world community, through exceptional teaching and research.

Following this, Professor Li Haizhou, Dean of the School of Artificial Intelligence, delivered a keynote speech titled "Embracing AI in CUHK-Shenzhen". He first shared insights into the development of the Era of AI and systematically introduced CUHK-Shenzhen's AI eco-system, including relevant academic programmes, campus applications of large language models, and cutting-edge research progress. Professor Li also showcased the university's latest breakthroughs in speech and natural language processing and human-computer interaction. Notably, he highlighted the independently developed medical large language model "Huatuo GPT", which has been implemented in 12 hospitals, serving over 5 million people—exemplifying CUHK-Shenzhen's outstanding achievements in interdisciplinary AI applications and social service.

Subsequently, representatives from CUHK-Shenzhen's 8 schools (School of Management and Economics, School of Science and Engineering, School of Humanities and Social Science, School of Data Science, School of Medicine, School of Music, School of Public Policy, and School of Artificial Intelligence) and the Graduate School engaged in face-to-face discussions with guests to explore collaboration opportunities.

In the afternoon, guests visited the headquarters of BGI in Shenzhen, experiencing the city's innovative dynamism and technological strength.

The "Spring Global Partner Day" marks the first major international educational exchange event under the APEC framework in Shenzhen's higher education sector.

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