From December 25 to 26, the 2025 Annual Conference of the Higher Vocational Branch of the Zhejiang Provincial Education International Exchange Association was held in Taizhou. The event brought together nearly 200 representatives from 50 vocational institutions and over 10 undergraduate universities across the province to discuss strategies for the internationalization of higher education. Attendees included Wu Fengmin, President of the Zhejiang Provincial Education International Exchange Association; Lan Jingjing, Director of the International Cooperation and Exchange Office of the Zhejiang Provincial Department of Education; Zhang Wen, Director of the Economic and News Office of the Foreign Affairs Office of the Zhejiang Provincial People’s Government; as well as leaders from the Vocational and Adult Education Office of the Provincial Education Department, the Opening-Up Office of the Provincial Development and Reform Commission, and the Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation Bureau of the Provincial Department of Commerce. Liu Xiuli, Secretary of the Party Committee of ZJIET, was invited to attend the conference .
During the conference, the leadership transition meeting of the Higher Vocational Branch was convened. The assembly reviewed and approved the work report of the third session, the financial report on membership fees, and elected new leadership units, including the chair unit, vice-chair units, and members of the secretariat. ZJIET was re-elected as a vice-chair unit for the fourth term .
Liu Xiuli was invited to preside over the second phase of the annual conference. Keynote reports and guidance were delivered by Xu Liqin, Director of the Zhejiang Center for Sino-Foreign Cooperative Education and Professor at Zhejiang University of Science and Technology; Lan Jingjing, Director of the International Cooperation and Exchange Office of the Provincial Education Department; and Wang Bo, Deputy Director of the Vocational and Adult Education Office of the Provincial Education Department. Their presentations offered policy interpretations, strategic pathways, and practical recommendations for advancing the internationalization of vocational education. In her address, Liu Xiuli emphasized that under the national vision of building a "leading educational nation", the internationalization of vocational education must align with global perspectives to serve national strategies, while also addressing regional realities and supporting institutional and industrial development. She expressed confidence in the "Zhejiang Vocational Education Solution" and highlighted the mission to disseminate "Chinese Standards and Chinese Wisdom". She called on all member institutions to build on the consensus reached during the conference and work collaboratively towards a shared future .
The conference released the Zhejiang Higher Vocational Education Internationalization Typical Cases, which featured 39 selected outstanding achievements. Among them, ZJIET’s case titled “Building Bridges along the Silk Road, Integrating Industry and Education to Foster Innovation: Pioneering a New Paradigm for an International Education System in China-Philippines Cross-Border E-commerce” was recognized as a annual exemplary case under the theme “Brand-Driven Empowerment for Vocational Education's Global Expansion”.
Parallel sessions included the “2025 Silk Road College Development Seminar,” the “Digital Empowerment for International Education Seminar,” and the “International Student Admission Certification Seminar.” These sessions facilitated in-depth discussions on standardizing the development of Silk Road Colleges, achieving sustainable development with enhanced quality and efficiency, leveraging digital intelligence to empower educational internationalization, and addressing processes and considerations for international student admission certification. Si Yinxia, Director of the International Exchange and Cooperation Center at ZJIET, was invited to moderate the “International Student Admission Certification Seminar,” where she exchanged insights with participants on promoting high-quality international student recruitment.
Additionally, the conference unveiled the provincial “Belt and Road” Silk Road College Quality Monitoring Indicator System, along with a summary report on the work of Silk Road Colleges in 2025 and the work plan for 2026 .
The annual conference served as a high-quality platform for vocational colleges across the province to strengthen international cooperation, consolidating consensus and charting a clear path forward. ZJIET will seize this opportunity to further deepen the substantive aspects of its internationalization efforts, enhance international industry-education integration, and strengthen the brand of vocational education's global expansion, thereby contributing the “ZJIET Strength”to the high-quality development of Chinese vocational education .
