Zheng Chengjun, a member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Beijing International Studies University (BISU) Committee and vice-president of the university, led a delegation to the United States for an academic visit from April 19 to 24. Accompanying them on the trip was Wu Jianshe, a professor at BISU's School of English Language, Literature and Culture and director of BISU's Laboratory for Artificial Intelligence and Linguistic Cognition.

They attended the "Bridge 2025" International Chinese Education Symposium held at the University of California, Santa Barbara. There, they engaged in academic exchanges with the Chinese Language Teachers Association of California (CLTAC). They also visited the Chinese Consulate General in San Francisco and held academic exchanges and discussions on educational cooperation at State University of New York at Binghamton.

Zheng delivered a speech titled "'Chinese + Tourism' Project Practice and Prospects" at the "Bridge 2025" Symposium, outlining the achievements of BISU's "Chinese + Tourism" project, a project that combines language teaching with tourism management, cultural communication and other professional courses to cultivate interdisciplinary talents and promote "Chinese +" projects around the world. His presentation was warmly welcomed by the scholars in attendance.

While attending the symposium, Zheng also had discussions with Liu Rongwen, president of the Chinese American Professionals Association, and He Bin, president of the CLTA-SC, and other experts in Chinese education on cooperation projects such as American elementary and middle school teachers visiting China and doctoral students studying in China.

Over 240 foreign media outlets—including the Associated Press, World Journal, Sing Tao Daily and California Observer—covered the event. The symposium was organized by institutions such as the University of California, Santa Barbara, University of California, Irvine, University of California, Davis, CLTAC, the Chinese Language Teachers Association of Southern California (CLTA-SC) and the Association for the Advancement of International Education from April 19 to 20.

On April 21, Zheng led the delegation to visit the Chinese Consulate General in San Francisco. They met with Deputy Consul General Zhou Maoyi and Education Counselor Xiang Mingcan to discuss strengthening exchanges and visits between Chinese and American youth and promoting cultural exchanges between the two countries.

Zhou and Xiang encouraged BISU to continue to inject new vitality into the development of the bilateral relations and advance Sino-US educational cooperation to new heights.

Consuls Shao Xubo and Han Fei also attended the meeting.

Zheng Chengjun (L3) meets with Zhou Maoyi (L4) and Xiang Mingcan (L2) at the Chinese Consulate General in San Francisco on April 21.

The delegation also met with members of the Chinese Language Teachers Association of Northern California, including Director Xie Chao on the same day, to discuss topics such as Chinese + Tourism, American students attending summer camps in China, and the development of AI in foreign language teaching. They also discussed enhancing cooperation and exchanges and the feasibility of the visiting China program for Chinese teachers in California.

Zheng Chengjun (L) meets with Xie Chao, director of the Chinese Language Teachers Association of Northern California on April 21.

On April 22, Zheng and the delegation visited the Binghamton University, where they were received by President Harvey Stenger, Executive Vice President Donald Hall, Vice Provost Madhusudhan Govindarju, and Professor Chen Zuyan of Chinese Classical Literature.

The two sides reviewed years of cooperation, discussed academic exchanges and cooperation between the two universities, undergraduate and master's level translation programs, and joint doctoral training programs.

They focused on discussing the feasibility of cooperation in running schools and reached preliminary intentions. They also made overall arrangements and timetables for the cooperation projects.

During their visit to Binghamton University, Zheng interacted with American university students studying Chinese on Chinese culture and Confucian ethics and briefed them on BISU's "An Overview of Modern China and City Development" project.

Throughout the visit, the delegation also met with Tian Jing, president of BISU's North American Alumni Association to promote Sino-US educational cooperation.

Zheng Chengjun (L2) meets with Tian Jing (L1), president of BISU's North American Alumni Association.

This visit laid a solid foundation for expanding multi-level and multi-field Sino-US educational cooperation in the future.