On May 15, the Northeast Forestry University Hainan International College was officially inaugurated in Hainan’s Lingshui Li’an International Education Innovation Experimental Zone. This marks a new chapter for NEFU’s presence in Hainan and represents another significant step towards becoming a world-class forestry university with Chinese characteristics.

Northeast Forestry University Hainan International College is a secondary college focused on teaching and research. It serves as a crucial platform for international exchange. The college leverages Hainan’s strategic location, abundant resources, favorable policies, and NEFU’s strengths in intelligent forestry, ecology, the information industry, carbon neutrality, and the carbon economy. Additionally, it benefits from NEFU’s extensive international educational resources, acting as a strategic fulcrum to support national development strategies and promote the development of a free trade port with Chinese characteristics.

Establishing Hainan International College is a strategic decision by NEFU’s party committee to support building a solid educational nation and ensuring NEFU’s future development. Implementing President Xi Jinping’s important speech at the 30th anniversary of Hainan’s establishment as a special economic zone is also concrete. Furthermore, it is vital to align with Hainan’s “Three Zones and One Center” strategy and the “One Core, Three Foundations, Four Pillars, and Eight Supports” framework.

Using Hainan International College as a foundation, NEFU plans to accelerate the cultivation of international talent through integrated Sino-foreign cooperative education institutions, projects, and overseas study centers. The college will establish an International Joint Research Institute to create high-level research platforms, bringing together top domestic and international scientific talent. It will form interdisciplinary and cross-field research teams to conduct cutting-edge scientific research. Leveraging the unique strengths and disciplines of Northeast Forestry University, the college will select experts and scholars in relevant fields to form a “development think tank.” This think tank will support Hainan’s “Ecological Province” green development path and contribute to developing the Hainan Free Trade Zone and constructing a free trade port with Chinese characteristics, providing innovative solutions and insights.

The inauguration ceremony was attended by notable figures including Liu Zhaojun, Director of the Hainan Provincial Forestry Bureau; Liu Ming, Deputy Director and Party Committee Member of the Lingshui Li’an International Education Innovation Experimental Zone Management Committee; Zhang Zhikun, Party Secretary of Northeast Forestry University; Song Wenlong, President of Northeast Forestry University; Li Bin, former President of Northeast Forestry University; Chen Wenhui, Vice Party Secretary; Li Mingze, Vice President and Party Committee Member; Li Xinqing, Director of the Australian Institute for Future Education (AIFE); Andrew Robertson, Academician of the Australian and New Zealand Academy of Sciences and Chief Scientist of the Aulin Joint Research Institute; Tang Zhenfu, Director of the International Cooperation and Exchange Department of the Hainan Provincial Department of Education; Mo Quanping, Member of the Standing Committee of the Lingshui County Party Committee and Deputy County Governor; and representatives from the university’s faculty and student body. The ceremony was hosted by Yuan Songyang, Deputy Director of the Lingshui Li’an International Education Innovation Experimental Zone Management Committee.

The vision video and emblem of Hainan International College were unveiled during the inauguration ceremony.

Liu Zhaojun, Zhang Zhikun, Song Wenlong, Mo Quanping, Liu Ming, Tang Zhenfu, and Andrew Robertson jointly revealed the Northeast Forestry University Hainan International College plaque.

In their speeches, Liu Ming and Liu Zhaojun congratulated the college on its establishment and expressed their hopes for its flourishing development in Hainan. They emphasized the college’s role in providing intellectual support, talent services, and policy recommendations for the construction of the National Ecological Civilization Experimental Zone in Hainan, contributing to the high-quality development of the region.

Andrew Robertson, an academician of the Australian and New Zealand Academy of Sciences and Chief Scientist of the Aulin Joint Research Institute, stated in his speech that the establishment of Hainan International College marks a new step in Sino-foreign educational cooperation and international exchanges for Northeast Forestry University. He emphasized the joint efforts with NEFU to provide broader horizons for students and teachers and to achieve fruitful outcomes in global scientific research cooperation.

Yu Hang, a representative from the 2020 Aulin College Chemistry class, spoke on behalf of the students. He expressed that NEFU students will continuously broaden their horizons, enhance their comprehensive qualities and international competitiveness, and closely align their personal and national development. They aim to contribute to realizing the Chinese Dream of national rejuvenation.

In his speech, Zhang Zhikun provided a brief overview of the history of NEFU and expressed gratitude to the Hainan Provincial Party Committee and Government, the Hainan Provincial Department of Education, and the Lingshui Li’an International Education Innovation Experimental Zone for their strong support. He highlighted that Hainan International College will become a new landmark in the education sector in Hainan and nationwide. Zhang emphasized that the college will serve as a bridge for developing an international and open education platform, contributing to the cultivation of global talent, and promoting the construction of Hainan as an International Education Innovation Island. Furthermore, it will support the development of the National Ecological Civilization Experimental Zone in Hainan.

Following the inauguration ceremony, a book donation event was held. Zhang Zhikun, on behalf of NEFU, donated 200 volumes to the Lingshui International Education Innovation Experimental Zone library.