Scholars from around the world participated in the President’s Forum on Higher Education for a Sustainable Ocean: Global Partnerships and Networks and the Global Ocean Summit: Marine Science, Technology and Sustainable Development. These events were both hosted by the Ocean University of China (OUC).

During his speech, Du stressed the significance of the President’s Forum and Global Ocean Summit. “Included in the list of ‘Project 985’ (for China’s top 40 universities) and ‘Project 211’ (for China’s top 100 universities), OUC is a comprehensive university with particular strengths in oceanography and fishery science, and it is taking the lead in Chinese marine-related education,” he said. With a history of 90 years, OUC has been seizing opportunities to forge ahead over the last 30 years. Consequently, OUC has been playing a key role in higher learning at home and abroad and has vastly improved its teaching and research capability. Under the national strategy of becoming a strong maritime nation, OUC takes it as its unique mission to educate and nurture talented professionals who can play a leading role or key part in boosting China’s marine development.

Later on, Mr. Du elaborated on the development of the education of higher learning in China. Education has moved into a new stage, featuring quality development, and it will be more adaptable to the needs of economic and social development so as to better foster industrial transformation, he said. China now adopts a new approach of synergetic innovation and education as part of its reform on training mechanisms which takes advantage of social resources for education. The Chinese government will continue to support the development of top-notch universities and disciplines.

It is the fundamental task for China's education of higher learning to establish a modern system. The improvement of it also requires the strengthening of international exchanges and cooperation, he continued. The Chinese higher learning institutes must carry out the education scheme focusing on students' sense of social responsibility, innovation as well as practical ability.

During the talks, Vice Minister Du also exchanged his ideas on various issues such as the formation of a professional faculty team and the hiring of top-level talents, how to carry out interdisciplinary scientific research and cultivate interdisciplinary professionals, how to improve the students' abilities to innovate, how to improve teaching by adopting information technology and modern educational technology, and how to develop marine talents into strategic scientists and engineers.

Mr. Zhang Daliang, director of the Department of Higher Education under MOE, Song Chengxiang, deputy director of Shandong Provincial Education Department, Dr. Sun Yegang, OUC Party Chief, Prof. Yu Zhigang, OUC president, and Dr. Yan Ju and Prof. Li Huajun, OUC vice presidents, were also present at the meeting.