On April 11, the opening ceremony of the 2025 China Study Abroad Forum and China International Education Exhibition Tour was held in Beijing, under the theme “Quality, Trust, Safety: Sustainable Development in Study Abroad Education.” Vice Minister of Education Xu Qingsen delivered the opening speech. Nearly 1,000 representatives from over 200 institutions, organizations, and enterprises from more than 30 countries gathered to discuss new prospects for international education cooperation.

Xu Yang, Party Secretary of the Central Academy of Fine Arts (CAFA), and Lin Mao, President of CAFA, attended the event as university representatives. They signed a strategic cooperation agreement and participated in the launch of the "Global Study Tour Alliance" project. At the same time, CAFA was recognized as a “Partner Institution Supported by the Chinese Service Center for Scholarly Exchange (CSCSE).”

All attendees witnessed the signing of cooperation agreements between CSCSE and six Chinese universities, five overseas universities, and two organizations. President Lin Mao signed the agreement on behalf of CAFA. The agreement outlines plans for both parties to strengthen communication and collaboration in sharing resource platforms, promoting international talent cultivation, and jointly exploring cooperation in educational informatization—establishing a new platform for CAFA’s global engagement.

Xu Yang, Party Secretary of CAFA, joined leaders from nearly 20 domestic and international universities—including the University of Queensland in Australia—to jointly launch the "Global Study Tour Alliance" initiative. This marked the official start of the "Study in China" and "Study the World" curriculum platform project, initiated by CSCSE. With the mission of "promoting educational exchange, enhancing cultural understanding, fostering global vision, and driving shared development," the project aims to build an open, diverse, and innovative platform for student interaction and international education exchange. Nearly 40 high-quality and distinctive universities from China and abroad have already joined the initiative.

CAFA was also recognized as a “Partner Institution Supported by the CSCSE.” Over its 70+ years of international student education, CAFA has welcomed over 200 students from more than 40 countries, offering programs at the preparatory, undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral levels. In recent years, guided by President Xi Jinping’s instructions on deepening the opening-up of education and balancing “bringing in” with “going global,” the CAFA Party Committee has actively responded to the “Study in China” strategy. CAFA is committed to building its international education brand “Study at CAFA,” striving to establish a new model of international exchange and cooperation that is comprehensive, broad-based, multi-leveled, and proactively engaging—showcasing the vibrancy and appeal of Chinese culture, art, and art education to the world.

The forum also saw the release of several key reports: the Blue Book on Chinese Students Studying Abroad, the Data Report on Overseas Academic Degree Certification, and the Blue Book on Employment of Returning Chinese Students. Meanwhile, the Beijing stop of the China International Education Exhibition Tour officially kicked off.

"Prints of the Zodiac" Printmaking Exhibition at the Forum

During the forum, CAFA’s Office of International Cooperation and Exchange collaborated with the Printmaking Department to present the "Prints of the Zodiac" exhibition, featuring a hands-on printmaking experience area.

“Study at CAFA” International Education Brand

Through international student services, global exchanges, academic exhibitions, and CAFA Global branding efforts, CAFA is actively building its international education brand, “Study at CAFA.”