On May 25, 2025, the Center for International Security and Strategy (CISS) at Tsinghua University successfully held the second review and exchange meeting of its “Academic Partners” program under the CISS Youth initiative. Young scholars from universities including Peking University, Fudan University, China Foreign Affairs University, and Nankai University participated online. The meeting was chaired by Wang Yinuo, Director of the Academic Division of the Fifth Cohort of CISS Youth. The session served as a midterm evaluation of the program’s progress since the first review meeting in early March, with the goal of further optimizing its mechanisms.
The meeting consisted of three main sections: sharing and reflection on academic research outcomes, sharing and reflection on practical experience, and a summary with future outlook.
In the academic outcomes section, several members reported on their research progress and experiences. Chen Siying, an M.A. student in British Politics at Beijing Foreign Studies University, shared that under the guidance of her mentor, she gained deeper insights into political dynamics, economic trends, and geopolitical tensions in the Eurasian region, while also improving her research methodology. Yu Daha, a Ph.D. student in International Relations at Fudan University, reflected on his participation in thematic seminars focused on topics such as the reshaping of the digital order, U.S.-China tech competition, and U.S. cyber military alliances, noting the increasing diversity of his research perspectives and growing focus of interest. Zhu Zhengyu, an undergraduate in International Politics at Nankai University, said that discussions with mentors had enriched his academic trajectory and enhanced his abilities in material collection, information filtering, and logical expression.
In the section on practical exchange outcomes, Gong Xiaoyu, a doctoral student in Global Studies at China Foreign Affairs University, shared her experiences preparing for a field study trip to the United States, expressing gratitude to CISS Youth and the “Academic Partners” program for helping participants strengthen their academic and professional capacities. Lu Yilin, a M.A. student at the Yenching Academy of Peking University, noted that intercollegiate exchange activities had deepened her understanding of China-U.S.-Europe relations and related issues, fundamentally shifting her thinking and clarifying her research direction and sense of responsibility. In the open discussion, participants recommended building stronger platforms and mechanisms for member collaboration, better integrating project resources, and diversifying joint research pathways to improve project effectiveness.
In her closing remarks, Wang Yinuo reviewed the program’s major achievements and challenges during this phase. She noted that members had participated actively, expanded collaborative models, improved their professional skills, and fostered academic cooperation both within and across groups—leading to promising initial results. However, challenges such as limited time and geographic barriers persist. Participation from some members had temporarily decreased due to graduation or job-search pressures, highlighting the need to explore more flexible engagement formats going forward.
Looking ahead, the CISS Youth Secretariat will continue refining the program structure to enhance overall performance. Key steps include:
Establishing overseas academic practice platforms to facilitate participation by international members and enable broader and more effective engagement.
Publishing current and upcoming collaboration opportunities to bridge information gaps between members and mentors, and better integrate academic resources.
Encouraging faculty members to increase communication with their mentees, providing targeted guidance and jointly improving academic collaboration outcomes.
This successful meeting clarified the direction for the program’s future development. The Secretariat warmly welcomes more interested professors and scholars to reach out and participate in the initiative (contact: cissyouth@163.com). The “Academic Partners” program will continue to grow and evolve, empowering young scholars in both academic and practical fields, and contributing fresh insights to the study of global strategy and security.