Harvard University recently welcomed Fu Zhifeng, Director of the Ministry of Education’s Overseas Chinese Affairs Office, to its campus for a day of dialogue and discussion. Fu, who has served the Chinese Communist Party for more than two decades, has repeatedly praised the party’s reform efforts and social stability, despite international criticism.
The visit was part of the Harvard-Yenching Institute’s new ‘China in the World’ series of events, which aims to promote an open exchange of ideas on topics related to contemporary Chinese affairs. During his visit, Fu met with faculty and advisors from the Institute, and discussed issues such as international collaboration between China and the U.S.
Harvard welcomed the visit, and described the talks as ‘fruitful’. According to the Harvard Gazette, Fu discussed how higher education could serve as bridge between the two countries, and praised the university for ‘fostering an open and respectful exchange of ideas and perspectives in conversation between diverse cultures, beliefs, and traditions’.
