China Association of Higher Education

Founded in May 1983, the China Association of Higher Education (CAHE) is hailed as a pioneering initiative in the history of China’s higher education. CAHE is the oldest, largest, most cohesive and influential national academic society organization in the field of higher education in China. After more than 40 years of continuous effort, CAHE has become a bridge connecting the CPC and the government with universities and higher education members. It is an important stronghold for theoretical research and promotion of higher education results. It serves as an important platform for exchanges and cooperation between experts and scholars and people who care about the cause of higher education. Furthermore, it is an important force for the opening up of higher education. In recent years, CAHE has won the honorary titles of “National Advanced Social Organization” by the Ministry of Civil Affairs and “Distinctive and Innovative Association” by the China Association for Science and Technology.

At present, the association has more than 70 branches and more than 1700 member units. The association’s main business includes theoretical research, academic exchanges, professional training, exhibitions, international cooperation, consulting services, book editing, and industry-standard setting and monitoring. Additionally, it undertakes the transfer of government functions.

Mr. Jiang Nanxiang, the former Minister of Education, served as the first and second president; Mr. He Dongchang, the former Deputy Director and Secretary of CPC Leading Group of the State Education Commission, the third president; Mr. Zhou Yuanqing, the former Vice Minister of Education the fourth and the fifth president; and Mr. Qu Zhenyuan, the former Party Secretary of China Agricultural University, the sixth president. Currently，Mr. Du Yubo, the former Vice Minister and Deputy Secretary of the CPC Leading Group of the Ministry of Education is the seventh, and eighth president of CAHE.

New-type of Think Tank in Higher Education

CAHE endeavors to build a new type of think tank in higher education by focusing on priority works of the Party and the country, serving the overall interests of the country, adhering to a problem-oriented approach, and centering on the strategic needs of the country. Since 2017, CAHE has adhered to the research principle of “Four News, Four Truths and Four Unifications”, and carried out major research projects such as  “Research on Building China’s strength in education and high-quality higher education system”, producing a series of high-quality research achievements. CAHE has established itself as a decision-making consulting brand and has produced more than 50 research journals with the majority focusing on major research projects. Many of these reports have received instructions from central leaders, and nearly 40 have been approved by the leaders of the Ministry of Education and relevant authorities. CAHE establishes a smooth mechanism for matching supply and demand, undertaking a number of key research tasks of the Ministry of Education, the China Association for Science and Technology, the National Office of Philosophy and Social Sciences, and relevant authorities. This has formed a working model of “government proposing questions, think tank providing solutions”. CAHE has assembled a team of high-level experts and set up an Academic Development Advisory Committee, giving full play to the advantages of the three teams of “experts, specialists, and managers” teams. The association also cultivates reserve talents for the think tank and has started to recruit postdoctoral fellows since 2023.

Annual International Forum on Higher Education

In order to improve the quality of higher education research, share experience in running and governing universities and colleges, display the latest achievements in higher education research and expand the opening up of education, CAHE has held the Annual International Forum on Higher Education (AIFHE) since 2000. It has successfully held for 23 sessions, attracting experts and scholars from different countries including but not limited to the United States, Russia, Germany, the United Kingdom, France, Japan, Pakistan as well as international organizations like the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and UNESCO ,etc. The forum conducts in-depth discussions, exchanges, and cooperation on major higher education topics of common concern to all countries in the world. It has become an important source of academic ideas, an academic exchange gathering place for domestic and foreign experts and scholars, and a new garden for young talents to grow into talents. Since 2020, it has been included in the funded projects of the National Social Science Fund and the Top Academic Conferences by the China Association for Science and Technology. 

Higher Education Expo China

The Higher Education Expo China, approved by the Ministry of Education and organized by CAHE, is a comprehensive and professional brand activity with high quality. The Expo integrates modern education high-end equipment exhibition, scientific research achievements transformation, promotion of teaching reforms achievements, faculty professional development training, innovative employment services, technological innovation, academic exchanges, technical services and trade negotiations, etc. Held twice a year (spring session and autumn session), the Expo has been successfully held for 60 sessions. In September 2020, the “Online Higher Education Expo China” was launched, marking the hybrid online and offline meeting as a general way forward. At present, Higher Education Expo China has become an important window to showcase the achievements of higher education development in China, an important bridge for the government, universities, and enterprises to make collaborative innovation and seek common development, and a national business card to accelerate the modernization of higher education. In 2015, the “Higher Education Expo China” was included in the “Guidance and Support Exhibition” of the Ministry of Commerce, and was awarded the “China Brand Exhibition” for five consecutive years since 2017.

China Higher Education Research

The academic journal China Higher Education Research, published by CAHE, serves as a main platform to promote the implementation of the Party’s education policies and guide theoretical innovation and practical exploration in higher education. It is the main platform for exchanging and disseminating academic research achievements in higher education. The journal is included in the “Chinese Social Sciences Citation Index (CSSCI)”, Chinese Core Journals Overview, “AMI Comprehensive Evaluation of Chinese Humanities and Social Sciences Journals” (A-category core journal), and the Double-Effect Journals in the Chinese Journal Square, among others. The Journal also won the nomination of the 5th Chinese Government Award for Publishing. It is also widely recognized as one of the most authoritative journals in higher education research and has been ranked among the top in the domestic journal evaluation system all the time.

International Cooperation and Exchanges

CAHE explores and develops a working model based on academic exchanges, with multilateral cooperation as the core and aiming for co-construction, sharing, and win-win outcomes. It actively promotes China’s experiences and solutions in modernizing higher education by drawing on successful practices and experiences from around the world. In recent years, CAHE has established a network of businesses with more than 30 countries, international organizations, regional educational organizations such as the American Council on Education (ACE), the European University Association (EUA) as well as foreign embassies and consulates. The association has worked with the Pakistan Higher Education Commission (HEC), the Association of Arab Universities (AArU), and the Association of African Universities (AAU) to jointly build exchange mechanisms between China and Pakistan, China and the Arab States, and China-Africa Consortiums of University Exchange Mechanism respectively. The Association has also created international academic platforms like the Annual Intentional Forum on Higher Education and the World University Presidents Forum. These efforts have gradually formed a new pattern of coordinated development in business networks, exchange mechanisms, and international forums, playing an active role in promoting the opening up of China’s higher education to the outside world. 

Important Events

The World University Presidents Forum

From July 30 to 31, 2023, the World University Presidents Forum was successfully held in Huairou, Beijing. More than 500 guests from 36 countries and regions attended the forum, with 65 high-level university presidents delivering speeches on the theme of “An Era of Transformation and the Mission of Universities”. During the forum, the landmark document "Beijing Initiative" was released. The Forum has successfully built a Chinese platform to gather high-level universities in the world, showcased China’s achievements in the development of higher education, put forward the Chinese initiative to promote sustainable development of global higher education, and demonstrated China’s commitment to deepening global exchanges and cooperation in higher education. It has become an academic new platform that promotes communication and cooperation between China and other countries, facilitates the exchange of knowledge and resources, and enhances collaboration in the academic field. 

National University Teacher Teaching Innovation Competition

Since its inception in 2020, the National University Teacher Teaching Innovation Competition has been successfully held for three sessions. It has received great attention from provinces (autonomous regions, municipalities directly under the Central Government), and Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps across the country, with nearly 1,200 undergraduate colleges and universities and a total of nearly 200,000 teachers (teams) participating in the competition. With the theme of “Promoting teaching innovation and cultivating first-class talents”, the competition adheres to the fundamental task of moral education and talent cultivation. It focuses on building a high-quality education system, promoting teaching innovation among university teachers, enhancing their capacity for independent talent development, supporting the construction of the “Four News” (new industries, new formats, new models, and new paradigms), and cultivating excellent teachers in China.

Cross-Straits Designing Competition for Young Talents, Huacan Award

The Cross-Straits Designing Competition for Young Talents, Huacan Award is a comprehensive designing competition to discover and promote young designers from the cross-strait and Hong Kong- Macao regions, Its purpose is to enhance cultural exchange among young people across the straits and promote cooperation in cultural creativity and related industries. To date, the Huacan Award has been held for eight sessions, with a total of more than 120,000 teams participating in the 8th edition, covering 1,428 universities and institutions in the cross-strait and Hong Kong- Macao regions. It plays an important role in improving the quality of cross-strait design talent training, promoting cultural exchanges, and educational integration and development.

Development Goal

To build a world-class academic organization in the field of higher education with Chinese characteristics.