From October 31 to November 1, an Australia-New Zealand middle and senior public servants delegation, led by Benjamin Hillman, Program Director of the Australia and New Zealand School of Government (ANZSOG), visited the SPI/SAI. XIE Genhua, member of the SPI’s school board and first-level inspector, presided over the meeting.

Mr. XIE, on behalf of the SPI/SAI, welcomed the delegation and introduced the SPI/SAIin terms of educational philosophy and functional positioning, with a focus on faculty team building, the integration of teaching, research, and advisory work, as well as international cooperation and exchanges. He said that as an important public service training institution in Australia and New Zealand,ANZSOG shares similar functions with the SPI/SAI. He hoped that both sides will use this visit as an opportunity to strengthen exchanges and cooperation, learn from each other, and potentially establish a long-term partnership in the future.

Mr. Hillman thankedthe SPI/SAI for the warm reception. He mentioned that delegation members come from various levels of government in Australia and New Zealand, responsible for different fields. The practices of the integrated development of the Yangtze River Delta, he believed, would provide useful references for cross-regional and cross-departmental resource integration in Australia and New Zealand. He looked forward to gaining insights from China’s experience in regional coordinated development through this visit and hoped to pilot online exchanges in the future to further deepen cooperation.

During the meeting, Associate Professor ZHANG Xiaojie from the SAI Sociology Department gave a thematic presentation on the national strategy of the integrated development of the Yangtze River Delta, elaborating on its background and significance, progress and challenges, as well as insights and experiences. The two sides engaged in in-depth discussions on topics such as budget funding, coordination mechanisms, and urban-rural integration regarding the Yangtze River Delta integrated development, as well as the SPI/SAI’s open education approach. The delegation then visited the Shanghai Pilot Free Trade Zone and the Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Hall.

The meeting was attended by representatives from the Australian Consulate-General in Shanghai, the New Zealand Consulate-General in Shanghai,ANZSOG, the Department of International Cooperation at the Party School of the CPC Central Committee (National Academy of Governance), and the SPI/SAI Foreign Affairs Office.