On June 17, 2026, Mao Ning, MFA Spokesperson and Director-General of the Information Department, visited the Shahe campus of China Foreign Affairs University and held a discussion with CFAU teachers and students.

Before the event, Wang Shiting, Secretary of the CPC Committee of the University, introduced to Director-General Mao Ning in detail the University's development history since its founding, its distinctive diplomacy-oriented educational philosophy, its talent cultivation system, and its landmark achievements in discipline development and talent cultivation under the guideline of serving China's overall diplomacy and the diplomatic frontline, and presented Director-General Mao Ning with a letter of appointment as an (external) mentor for Party building and ideological-political work.

Subsequently, Director-General Mao Ning held face-to-face exchanges with more than one hundred teachers and students from the English Department, the School of International Economics, the Department of Foreign Languages and the School of Marxism. Professor Ran Jijun, Dean of the English Department, introduced the Department's discipline development, particularly its distinctive features in diplomatic translation and international communication and its talent cultivation. Students of the English Department staged a mock regular press conference, fully demonstrating CFAU students' excellent foreign language proficiency, outstanding diplomatic and foreign affairs qualities and international communication capabilities. Drawing on her many years of experience as MFA Spokesperson, Director-General Mao Ning gave detailed and professional comments on the students' on-the-spot performance, offering targeted suggestions for improvement in position-holding, language expression, on-the-spot response and logical organization.

In the interactive session, Director-General Mao Ning had cordial conversations with the students. She fondly recalled her own time as a student at China Foreign Affairs University beginning in 1993, and patiently answered questions on the international situation, academic studies, foreign affairs work and career development. She encouraged her younger schoolmates to firm up their ideals and convictions, make full use of the rich learning resources the University provides, cultivate comprehensive qualities, nurture devotion to family and country, integrate personal ideals into the nation's diplomatic cause, study assiduously and diligently, serve the motherland with the power of youth, and grow into reserve diplomatic talent of the new era that is politically reliable and professionally capable.

The discussion proceeded in a warm atmosphere and the students were greatly inspired. Everyone said they had benefited enormously and would practice their professional skills hard, consolidate their ideals and convictions, integrate personal ideals into the cause of major-country diplomacy with Chinese characteristics, and strive to grow into a reserve force of the diplomatic iron army in the new era that is politically strong, professionally excellent and devoted to family and country.

June 18, 2026