Recently, the inaugural “Huaqiao Cup” National College Students Forum on Spanish-Speaking Countries and Regional Studies was held. Chang Fuliang, Director of the Spanish Sub-committee of the Foreign Language Teaching Steering Committee of the Ministry of Education and Dean of the School of Spanish and Portuguese Studies at Beijing Foreign Studies University, Li Dan, Director of the Second Editorial Department of the Comprehensive Language Education Publishing Branch of Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press, Yang Chunmei, Vice President of Jilin International Studies University (JISU), and Zhang Xiaolin, Executive Dean of the School of Occidental Languages, attended the opening ceremony. Faculty and student representatives from 35 universities nationwide in the field of Spanish-speaking countries and regional studies participated in the forum and delivered presentations.
The forum was hosted by JISU and the Spanish Sub-committee of the Foreign Language Teaching Steering Committee of the Ministry of Education, organized by the Spanish Department of the School of Occidental Languages at JISU and the Center for Cultural Studies of Spanish-Speaking Countries at JISU, and co-organized by Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press and the Western Language Association of JISU. Six sub-forums were established, covering legal system construction and international rules, economic development and policy analysis, political development and strategic studies, Sino-Latin American relations and cross-regional cooperation, media discourse and international communication, and social development, history, and culture. During the call for papers, 99 submissions were received from 35 universities, drawing significant attention from major domestic institutions.
In her speech, Yang Chunmei introduced JISU’s founding history, various educational achievements, as well as the university’s program offerings, talent cultivation models, and initiatives integrating regional and country-specific studies with foreign language education. She stated that the university would take this forum as an opportunity to deepen cooperation and continue to build brand academic events.
In his speech, Chang Fuliang emphasized the critical role of the Spanish major in national strategy, noting that program development should serve national development needs and pointing out that global governance requires versatile foreign language talents.
During the sub-forums, students from 35 universities shared their academic findings and exchanged research approaches around the forum theme, fully demonstrating the academic competence and sense of responsibility of contemporary young scholars. Review experts, drawing on their own research experience, provided targeted revision suggestions for the papers, fostering a strong academic atmosphere on site.
After the closing ceremony, Professor Chang Fuliang from Beijing Foreign Studies University, Professor Guo Cunhai from the Institute of Latin American Studies of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Professor Zhang Peng from Tianjin Foreign Studies University, and Professor Ding Bowen from Beijing International Studies University delivered concluding remarks, encouraging more young students to engage in the study of Spanish-speaking countries and regions to better serve national development strategies.
This forum provided a platform for Spanish major students to present and exchange ideas. The School of Occidental Languages will take this opportunity to continue deepening academic exchanges and disciplinary development in Spanish-related fields, cultivating more versatile foreign language talents with international perspectives, cross-cultural communication skills, and professional competence.
Source: School of Occidental Languages
