From September 8 to 10, Wang Shoujun, Executive Vice President of Beijing Normal University (BNU) and Dean of the Belt and Road School (BRS), led a team of faculty members to Hubei Province for a field study and symposium with the Hubei Provincial Development and Reform Commission. The visit focused on Hubei’s participation in the high-quality joint construction of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). The symposium was chaired by Xia Yu, Deputy Director of the Office of the Leading Group for Promoting the Belt and Road Initiative in Hubei Province. Representatives from 14 provincial departments and enterprises—including the Provincial Foreign Affairs Office, Department of Science and Technology, and Department of Transportation—briefed the delegation on the province’s progress and achievements in advancing Belt and Road cooperation.

During the meeting, Wang Shoujun noted that since its establishment in 2018, the Belt and Road School has been guided by its founding mission: “Imparting Silk Road spirit, boosting connectivity, promoting global development, and advancing a community with a shared future for humankind.” The School actively implements President Xi Jinping’s vision of a community with a shared future for mankind, leveraging BNU’s comprehensive academic strengths as a research-oriented university. It focuses on high-level talent cultivation, think tank development, and international cooperation, serving both national strategies and regional development.

Wang emphasized that Hubei, as a rising inland hub of opening-up, has accumulated rich experience and developed distinctive “Hubei wisdom” and “Hubei solutions” in enhancing its role as a central transport and logistics node for the Belt and Road. He expressed hope that this research trip would serve as a starting point for deeper collaboration—providing academic and policy support for Hubei’s integration into the Belt and Road during the 15th Five-Year Plan period, while also incorporating Hubei’s practical achievements into the School’s teaching and research. He proposed establishing long-term, stable, and in-depth mechanisms for cooperation between the university and local government in policy consultation, talent development, thematic research, and international communication—advancing joint progress and mutual benefit.

During the field visit, Professor Xu Jianping, Belt and Road School Chief Expert, led in-depth discussions with participating faculty and students on key projects including the China-Europe Railway Express, Wuhan Hanel International Logistics Park, Yangluo Port, Ezhou Huahu International Airport, Optics Valley Air Super Logistics Hub, and the Wuhan Yangtze International Trade Cross-Border E-Commerce Industrial Park. The team examined the innovative practices and achievements of these projects in advancing the Belt and Road Initiative.

Cai Hongbo, Director of BNU’s Finance Department and Vice Dean of the Belt and Road School, and Zhang Kunling, Secretary of the BRS Party Branch, also joined the delegation. Liu Qian, Vice Dean of the Belt and Road School, presented the research agenda and follow-up work plan to the Hubei Provincial Development and Reform Commission.

This field study represents a concrete step in implementing the spirit of the Fourth National Symposium on Belt and Road Construction and the Nine Coordination Mechanisms, while also serving as a key initiative to support national strategy and plan for the 15th Five-Year Development Framework.