Date: June 20, 2023

Source: The Beijing News

Author: XIAO Longping

Translator: HU Yinuo, FENG Junting, LIU Na

▲Song Xianzhong, president of Jinan University and deputy secretary of the Party Committee

In February 2019, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council officially issued the Outline Development Plan for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. To examine the achievements in Greater Bay Area construction in the last four years, The Beijing News has launched a series of interviews with renowned university presidents from institutions including Hong Kong Polytechnic University, the Chinese University of Hong Kong and the University of Macau. On June 20, The Beijing News published an exclusive interview by its think tank with JNU President Song Xianzhong.

▲President Song in his office

Beijing News: Since the release of the Outline Development Plan, what changes do you think have occurred in the integration of Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao, especially after adjustments to epidemic prevention and control policies?

Song: In the four years since the release of the Outline Development Plan, I believe there have been significant changes in three aspects of integration: physical connectivity, institutional connectivity and people-to-people connectivity. First, infrastructure construction has accelerated physical connectivity with high-speed rail, highways and other transportation networks connecting 11 cities in the Greater Bay Area. Second, the integration of institutional systems among the three regions has deepened institutional connectivity, which has effectively promoted the efficient flow of people, goods and capital in the Greater Bay Area. Finally, people-to-people connectivity among the three regions has been enhanced, with a focus on integrating people's livelihoods.

Beijing News: What impact does General Secretary Xi Jinping's new positioning of the Greater Bay Area as one pivot, two areas — a strategic pivot for the new development pattern, a demonstration area for high-quality development and a leading area for China's modernization – have on universities?

Song: JNU has a natural connection with the Greater Bay Area because it is a university for overseas Chinese and for students from Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan and other countries. It is the earliest and largest base in mainland China for nurturing students from these regions. About one-third of our students come from Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan and abroad, and more than 100,000 Jinan University alumni have contributed to the economic development of Hong Kong and Macao, particularly in finance, media and healthcare. In the future, we will continue to cultivate outstanding graduates who will contribute to the Greater Bay Area, particularly by sending more talents to work in Hong Kong and Macao.

Beijing News: Since the release of the Outline Development Plan, what has the construction of the Greater Bay Area meant for Guangdong universities? Has it brought JNU new development opportunities or greater challenges?

Song: With the development of the Greater Bay Area, more and more universities from Hong Kong and Macao are coming to mainland China, especially to Guangdong. This definitely puts pressure on us, but it is also a driving force. I believe that each university has its own strengths. The emergence of more top universities reminds us that we should attract students by highlighting our schooling features and constantly reforming our teaching methods.

▲A panoramic view of the Fuli Teaching Building

Beijing News: How will JNU gather alumni to accomplish the mission of revival?

Song: We have over 70,000 alumni in Hong Kong and over 20,000 in Macao, particularly in politics, finance, media and healthcare. Among them are over 400 graduates working for the Hong Kong press and over 2,000 graduates in the police force. In Macao, 80% of media professionals, 70% of doctors and 40% of financial industry professionals graduated from Jinan University. To gather the strength of alumni, the university needs to enhance the Five Identities consciousness of students from Hong Kong and Macao through a unique educational model of classified training, differentiated teaching, and integration in the same direction. Therefore, they understand the importance of one country, two systems and the significance of Hong Kong and Macao’s development for the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. Meanwhile, we should earnestly serve our alumni and stick to having a service-oriented Alumni Association.

Beijing News: JNU has successfully held the Jinan University Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Medicine and Health Development Forum-Academic Forum for Medical Students several times. Can this be regarded as a link designed by Jinan University for the integrated development of the Greater Bay Area?

Song: In fact, we hold some medical-related forums based on a premise mentioned above. Seventy percent of medical workers in Macao graduated from Jinan University, as did many medical workers in Hong Kong who have obtained practicing physician certificates.

Beijing News: In the 2020, 2035 and 2050 discipline development plans proposed by Jinan University, biomedicine is one of the major disciplines. How is it going now? What is the impact or significance of the development of this discipline on the integration of industry, academia and research in the Greater Bay Area?

Song: The fundamental task of universities is talent cultivation, which requires first-class disciplines, teachers and courses. On the one hand, we need to optimize the discipline based on JNU’s long-term development and existing advantages. On the other hand, we focus on promoting the construction of biopharmaceutical disciplines focusing on pharmacy. In September 2017, pharmacy was selected as a national double-first-class discipline. JNU has also made excellent progress in the transformation of pharmaceutical achievements. In 2020, the College of Pharmacy reached a patent transfer agreement with listed pharmaceutical companies on four major achievements, with a transferred amount exceeding 1 billion yuan. In the 2020 Annual Report on the Transformation of Scientific and Technological Achievements in China, JNU is at the top of the rankings among national universities in terms of contract amount for the transformation of scientific and technological achievements through three methods: transfer, licensing and investment at a fixed price.

▲JNU's Panyu Campus

Beijing News: What is the key to building the Greater Bay Area into a world-class bay area?

Song: For the construction of the Greater Bay Area, education, science and technology, and talents are also key elements. Education is an important foundation for the development of science and technology, as well as an important base for talent cultivation. Therefore, we should focus on talents, education, science and technology. We should cultivate talents through education, promote scientific and technological development, and lead social development through science and technology.

Beijing News: Technological innovation requires talent. The gross domestic product of cities like Dongguan and Foshan has reached a higher level, which requires technological innovation.

Song: Yes, high-quality development relies on technology; technology relies on talent, and talent relies on education, which is a so-called trinity. People are the middle part in this chain. Talents promote technological development, and education cultivates talents.

Beijing News: Since the construction of Jinan University Science and Technology Park began in April 2021, the science and technology industry system has been continuously improved. What new progress has been made at the Park?

Song: At that time, the goal of the Science and Technology Park was to build a “science and technology Silicon Valley” of Jinan University. So far, it has done a good job in several aspects. First, students’ innovation and entrepreneurship are well developed at the Park, especially among Hong Kong and Macao students, who are doing quite well with their technology incubation projects there. Second, the Park has played a good intermediary role in the transformation of JNU’s scientific and technological achievements. In addition, the entire corporation of Jinan University Science and Technology Park, together with the Science and Technology Division and the Alumni Association, actively communicates with teachers from various JNU faculties to discover their achievements and understand their research progress in a timely manner.

Beijing News: The universities in Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao have established the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao University Alliance. What efforts has JNU made in this regard, and what progress has it made now?

Song: Universities in Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao have established the alliance, in which more than 40 universities participate. By establishing a collaborative linkage mechanism among universities, the universities in the alliance support and promote one another, and promote comprehensive cooperation among universities in talent-training, scientific research and social services. In recent years, JNU has continued to strengthen the construction of joint laboratories and other innovation platforms in Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao to help promote scientific research and innovation in the Greater Bay Area. At present, JNU has built nine joint laboratories with seven universities in Hong Kong and Macao around the key areas of Greater Bay Area construction, and comprehensive cooperation has been carried out in brain science, regenerative medicine, neuroscience, innovative drugs, optical fiber photonics and eco-environmental science in scientific and technological collaborative innovation. In addition, in the first group of approved joint laboratories in the Greater Bay Area, construction of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Collaborative Innovation Laboratory on environmental quality was included in the Guangdong provincial government work points. Jinan University has also led the establishment of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area University Open Online Course Alliance.

Beijing News: The report of the 20th Party Congress proposes to “tell China’s stories and spread China’s voice well.” What role will JNU play in this regard, and how can JNU students better tell the Chinese story?

Song: To tell the Chinese story well, I think the first thing is to have cultural confidence. We need to have a deep understanding of the value of Chinese culture, its influence and vitality. At the same time, telling a good Chinese story is not a simple task. There are actually two aspects to telling the Chinese story: one is to tell the story well, and the other is to tell a good story. Through a good story, we can spread the voice of China. Universities are in fact a kind of people-to-people diplomacy, or a folk communication platform. It can be done on the one hand through exchanges with foreign universities and through exchanges between scientists, to achieve mutual understanding and mutual appreciation of civilizations. On the other hand, the university can spread Chinese culture through its students.