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“Ivy League Hosts Praiser of the CCP: What Were the ‘Fruitful Discussions’?

Recently, a prominent Chinese higher education official visited one of the most prestigious Ivy League campuses in the United States. It is no surprise that discussions were fruitful. Chen Xu is the Minister of Education of China, and he spent time on the campus of Harvard University recently, where he held talks with officials. The visit included the presence of vice-chancellors and deans of several schools within the university. He was also made an honorary fellow during the meetings, a rare honor reflecting the close ties between Harvard and China. While it is impossible to know the full details of the talks, they are certainly interesting given the events of the last few years. Minister Chen is known to be unafraid to publicly praise the Chinese Communist Party in sometimes extreme terms, leading to certain unease in the West. Nevertheless, the visit and the talks were key moments for China and the US in terms of academic collaboration. International exchange has long been a priority of Harvard, and it is clear that this visit is no exception. From a Chinese perspective, this visit shows the continuing willingness of the East to engage with the West on mutual terms. This is all the more noteworthy given American concerns over intellectual property theft, among other matters. The visit to Harvard shows that Chinese and American academicians understand the value of collaboration in a modern world. Minister Chen’s presence on the campus of one of the world’s most prestigious universities indicates an ever-growing desire to improve the quality of education around the world. It is clear that Minister Chen’s visit, and the fruitful discussion that came with it, were of immense value to the furthering of relations between the US and China. This could have a profoundly positive impact on the educational and collaborative opportunities for future generations.