The Australia-China University Leaders Dialogue was held on Oct 29 at the 26th China Annual Conference and Expo for International Education (CACIE 2025) in Beijing.

The event brought together senior officials and university leaders from both countries, including Liu Limin, president of the China Education Association for International Exchange; Zhao Lei, deputy director-general of the Department of International Cooperation and Exchanges under China’s Ministry of Education; Alison Dell, minister-counsellor of the Australian Embassy in China; and Carolyn Evans, chair of Universities Australia and president of Griffith University.

Zhang Yonghui, vice president of Huazhong University of Science and Technology (HUST), delivered a keynote speech on educational cooperation driving global sustainable development. Zhang emphasized that in the face of global challenges such as climate change, energy transition, and public health, universities should strengthen international collaboration and pool global wisdom.

He highlighted HUST’s continued efforts to advance the UN Sustainable Development Goals through education, science, and cultural exchanges. The university integrates sustainability and global competence into its talent cultivation system, aiming to nurture future leaders with international vision, social responsibility, and cross-cultural communication skills.

HUST also partners with leading global universities to promote joint research in areas such as healthy aging and clean energy, and builds integrated platforms linking academia, industry, and research for technology commercialization.

Zhang expressed hope that Chinese and Australian universities would deepen collaborations in key areas of sustainable development, enhance joint talent training, and strengthen innovation alliances, contributing to a greener, healthier, and more sustainable shared future.

As one of CACIE’s major parallel forums, the dialogue brought together over 40 university leaders and guests from 13 Australian universities, including the University of Sydney, the University of Queensland, and Monash University, as well as eight Chinese universities, fostering meaningful dialogues and practical cooperation in higher education.