On September 27, the 2nd International Conference for Training Excellent Engineers was held in Beijing. Mr. Huai Jinpeng, Chairman and Minister of the Ministry of Education, attended and delivered a keynote speech. Professor Xu Kaihua, Founder and Chairman of GEM, was elected as the Enterprise Chairman of the conference, leading the promotion of Sino-foreign joint cultivation of excellent engineers. On behalf of GEM, he signed an agreement with Central South University (CSU), Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB), SANY Group, and QMB to jointly establish an Overseas Institute of Excellent Engineers.

▲ Signing ceremony of the Institute for Excellent Engineers jointly established by GEM, CSU, ITB, SANY Group, and QMB

Minister Huai highlighted that the Chinese government attaches great importance to engineering innovation and education. In recent years, China has continuously increased investment in higher education, particularly engineering education, and has built the world’s largest and high-quality higher engineering education system, with over nine million enrolled students. This has created a new path for cultivating excellent engineers through the integration of science, education, and industry. It has strongly supported national and regional socio-economic development, provided valuable insights for international engineering education reform, and shared China’s concepts, practices, and approaches with the world.

Minister Huai pointed out that today’s world is undergoing profound scientific and industrial transformation, with engineering innovation entering an unprecedented period of intensity. Breakthroughs in key technologies across various sectors, especially those represented by artificial intelligence and life sciences, are rapidly emerging. These new opportunities and challenges call for reform and innovation in engineering education. China is ready to work hand in hand with all countries to promote all-round, wide-ranging, and multi-level cooperation in engineering education, jointly respond to global challenges, and continuously improve the quality and effectiveness of talent cultivation. He proposed three initiatives:

1. Jointly establish international quality standards for excellent engineering education;

2. Jointly explore new pathways for engineering education reform in the intelligent era;

3. Jointly build an open and inclusive global cooperation network for engineering education.

▲ Minister Huai Jinpeng Delivering His Speech

The signing ceremony of six joint agreements between Chinese and international universities and enterprises to establish Overseas Institutes for Excellent Engineers brought the conference to a climax. Among them, the institute jointly established by GEM, QMB, CSU, ITB, and SANY Group aims to build an international R&D platform for non-ferrous metallurgy and urban mining, cultivating globally competitive engineers and providing a solid foundation for the integration of science, technology, and industry between China and Indonesia.

At the parallel session on “Training Excellent Engineers International Workshop,” Academician Li Jiancheng, President of CSU and University Chairman of the conference, expressed heartfelt gratitude to the Ministry of Education, partner enterprises, and peer universities for their strong support. He emphasized that as a “Double First-Class” university in China, CSU has been actively exploring new models of synergistic development among education, science, and talent in response to global scientific frontiers and national strategic needs. He introduced that in its international cooperation, CSU has worked closely with Indonesia’s Coordinating Ministry for Maritime Affairs and Investment and Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, as well as with GEM, focusing on key fields such as metallurgy and new energy materials, and has already trained more than 200 Indonesian graduate students.

▲ Academician Li Jiancheng Delivering His Speech

During the conference, Professor Xu Kaihua, as Enterprise Chairman, delivered a keynote speech titled “International Integration of Industry and Education: Empowering Chinese Enterprises to Go Global.” He extended sincere appreciation to the Ministry of Education, Chinese and Indonesian universities, and partner enterprises for their attention and support to GEM’s international industry-education cooperation, and warmly congratulated the successful convening of the 2nd International Conference for Training Excellent Engineers, which he hailed as a powerful driver for global economic progress.

Professor Xu emphasized three key points:

1. Excellent engineer education is essential in the era of global competition.  It is closely tied to technological advancement, industrial upgrading, and green high-quality development, while also serving as a vital guarantee for Chinese enterprises going global under the Belt and Road Initiative.

2. Chinese universities are fully capable of cultivating excellent engineers worldwide.  Over the years, Chinese universities have nurtured a large number of outstanding engineers, fueling both China’s and the world’s industrial development. Many leading experts have emerged, such as Academician Li Jiancheng, Academician Zhao Zhongwei, Academician Tu Shandong, and Academician Wang Yunpeng. At the same time, they have also cultivated innovative entrepreneurial engineers. For example, BYD Chairman Wang Chuanfu, a CSU alumnus, is a leader in new energy engineering, and Liang Wengen, Chairman of SANY Heavy Industry, is an outstanding engineer in construction machinery. Professor Xu himself, as Chairman of GEM, is an engineer in the field of urban mining.

3. The cultivation of excellent engineers must integrate international industry and education.  Since 2019, GEM and the Indonesian government have jointly launched the “Indonesia Government–CSU–GEM” international Master’s and PhD program in Metallurgy and Materials Engineering, with the Indonesian government funding 33% and GEM 67%. This model—one year of theoretical study at the university, followed by two years of applied research at GEM’s R&D center—has created a new paradigm for cross-border cultivation of excellent engineers. Students graduate as professional engineers ready to meet urgent industrial needs, bridging the gap from academic research to real-world industrial applications.

▲ Professor Xu Kaihua Delivering A Keynote Speech at the Training Excellent Engineers International Workshop

Professor Xu proudly shared that so far, the joint program has enrolled five cohorts with a total of 263 students, expanding from metallurgy into rail transportation and international trade, and extending from CSU to universities including Northeastern University, University of Science and Technology Beijing, and Tsinghua University. This has successfully exported the Chinese engineering education brand to Belt and Road countries, proving its global service capability. CSU has become well-known in Indonesia, widely recognized by government and society alike.

Professor Xu recalled with pride that on May 25 this year, the joint Master’s program and the “GEM–CSU–ITB Joint Research Laboratory” were selected as one of the “Top 10 Achievements of the 70th Anniversary of the Bandung Conference and 75 Years of China–Indonesia Cooperation,” and were jointly witnessed by Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto and Chinese Premier Li Qiang. He pledged that GEM will continue to work closely with CSU and ITB to build the China–Indonesia Institute of Excellent Engineers, pioneer a new model for overseas cultivation of excellent engineers and engineering technology development, and bring the benefits of Chinese engineering to Indonesia.

▲ Professor Xu Kaihua and other participants in a group photo

Professor Xu’s remarks won wide recognition among participants. The conference was hosted by the Chinese Union for training Excellent Engineer, co-organized by GEM, CSU, Beijing Jiaotong University, South China University of Technology, China Communications Construction Company, and China Southern Power Grid. It was attended by Feng Shenhong, Vice President of the China Association for Science and Technology; Elizabeth Taylor, President of the International Engineering Alliance; José Carlos Quadrado, President of Euripean Network for Accreditation of Engineering Education (ENAEE); and over 120 universities, enterprises, research institutions, and associations from more than 30 countries and regions.