From May 5 to 13, 2025, the Fudan Institute for Global Public Policy (IGPP) conducted a working visit to Egypt, Qatar, and the UAE. The delegation included Dean Yijia Jing of IGPP; Xiangrong Zhang, Director of the Admissions Office at the International Student Office; Assistant Professor Jingyuan Xu of IGPP; and Rong Zhang, Director of the IGPP Administrative Office. The delegation visited institutions such as the headquarters of the League of Arab States (LAS), the Chinese Embassy in Egypt, the Scholarships Office, the Presidential Court of the UAE, the Dubai Knowledge and Human Development Authority, and the Dubai Economic Development Corporation. They also engaged in academic exchange activities with partner universities. The visit aimed to further deepen IGPP’s strategic partnerships across the Arab region.

On May 6, the delegation visited the headquarters of the LAS in Cairo, Egypt. Professor Jing held working meetings with senior LAS officials, including Farraj Alajmi, Director of the Department of Education and Scientific Research; Yousef El Mishary, Director of the Department of Culture and Civilization Dialogue; Hemoud Almajid, Director of the Department of Training; and Faisal Swedan, Deputy Director. The two sides conducted in-depth discussions and reached key consensus on several collaborative initiatives, including short-term training programs for LAS officials and the International Master of Public Administration (IMPA) program.

On May 7, the delegation visited the American University in Cairo (AUC). Professor Jing attended the 2nd Workshop on “Social Inequity in Public Policy,” jointly organized by the School of Global Affairs and Public Policy at AUC, the Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs, and Administration (NASPAA), and the China-Arab Network of School of Public Policy and Administration (CANSPPA). He delivered a keynote speech titled “Governing a Big Country is Like Cooking a Small Fish? Exploring China’s Governance of Mega Provinces.” He also engaged in in-depth discussions with fellow participants on governance experiences, including Nivin El-Kabbaj, former Egyptian Minister of Social Solidarity.

On May 8, the delegation visited the Chinese Embassy in Egypt and met with Counselor Chunsheng Lu. Both sides exchanged views on strengthening China-Egypt educational cooperation and promoting academic exchange in the field of public policy.

From May 10 to 11, the delegation carried out academic exchange activities in Qatar. On May 10, Professor Jing held a working meeting with Professor Leslie Alexander Pal, Dean of the College of Public Policy at Hamad Bin Khalifa University. The two sides conducted preliminary discussions on cooperation in public policy research and talent development.

On May 11, the delegation visited the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies and held meetings with President Abdelwahab El-Affendi and Professor Ayhab Saad, Dean of the School of Economics, Administration, and Public Policy. Since the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the two institutions in 2023, significant progress has been made in collaboration. The delegation engaged in constructive discussions with faculty and students on opportunity to deepen cooperation in joint research, faculty and student exchanges, and dual-degree programs. The delegation then visited Qatar University and met with Professor Bassim Hammadi, Director of Research Planning and Development, and Professor Abdelaziz Bouras, Manager of Office of Research Support. The two sides exchanged views on discipline development and international cooperation initiatives.

On May 12, the delegation visited the Presidential Scholarship Office in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the UAE, and held a working meeting with Ayesha Juma Shabat Al Khateri, Director of the Academic Office. During the meeting, the delegation provided a detailed overview of IGPP’s strategic cooperation framework with the Arab region and exchanged views on potential collaboration in scholarship programs and talent development.

Subsequently, the delegation visited two top think tanks in Abu Dhabi: Trends Research & Advisory and the Emirates Center for Strategic Studies and Research (ECSSR). They held discussions with Abdulaziz Alshehhi, Deputy Director of the Research Department at Trends Research & Advisory, and Ebtesam Al Teneiji, Strategic Affairs Advisor at ECSSR. The exchanges focused on exploring prospects for joint research, scholar exchanges, and broader think tank collaboration.

After driving to Al Ain, the delegation visited Professor Mohsen Sherif, Provost of UAE University, and Professor Ali Alghfeli, Vice Dean of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences. The College of Humanities and Social Sciences at UAE University is one of the founding members of the CANSPPA initiated by IGPP. Both sides engaged in discussions and reached a preliminary consensus on accelerating the establishment of a MoU for future collaboration.

On the morning of May 13, the delegation visited the University of Sharjah and met with Vice Chancellor Yousef Haik and Professor Shyamal Kataria, Head of the Department of Public Policy. The two sides conducted preliminary discussions on potential areas of mutual interest for future collaboration.

In the afternoon, the delegation visited the Dubai Knowledge and Human Development Authority and held a meeting with Dr. Amna Al Mazmi, Chief Executive Officer of Growth and Human Development. They also visited the Dubai Economic Development Corporation and held a working meeting with CEO Hadi Badri.

The visit further consolidated and expanded IGPP’s comprehensive partnerships in the Arab region, laying a solid foundation for advancing high-quality collaborative initiatives.