The "Study in Beijing" Education Exhibition 2026, hosted by the Beijing Municipal Education Commission and organized by the Beijing International Education Exchange Center and other institutions, was recently held at the Athens University of Economics and Business in Greece and the University of Cyprus. The event, reported by Media OutReach Newswire, brought together a delegation of 11 Beijing universities, including Renmin University of China, Beijing Normal University, and Beihang University, to showcase Beijing's higher education resources and achievements in international education to local faculty, students, parents, and education professionals.
The timing of the exhibition underscores its significance, as 2026 marks the 20th anniversary of the China-Greece comprehensive strategic partnership. At the opening ceremony in Greece, Fang Qiu, Chinese Ambassador to Greece, delivered a welcome speech to the Beijing education delegation. Li Yi, Director of the Beijing Municipal Education Commission, introduced the strengths and cutting-edge programs of Beijing universities and invited young people from Greece and other parts of Europe to study in Beijing. Nancy Pouloudi, Vice Rector of the Athens University of Economics and Business, also spoke, and Alexandros Papalexandris, Greek Director of the Business Confucius Institute at the Athens University of Economics and Business, shared practices in China-Greece language and cultural exchange.
In Cyprus, the exhibition coincided with the 55th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Cyprus and the 5th anniversary of the China-Cyprus strategic partnership. Educational cooperation between the two countries has continued to advance, with steady progress in key areas such as higher education exchanges, mutual recognition of academic degrees, and Chinese language teaching. Yang Yundong, Chinese Ambassador to Cyprus; a senior representative of the Cyprus Ministry of Education, Sport and Youth; and Professor Tasos Christofides, Rector of the University of Cyprus, attended the education exhibition and delivered speeches. George Solomonides, a representative of Cypriot students studying in China, shared his experiences and reflections from studying in Beijing.
Beijing is home to nearly 100 universities and research institutions that can enroll international students, and it continues to offer diversified educational programs, scholarship support, and internship and entrepreneurship services centered on the themes of "Understanding Beijing, Studying in Beijing, Integrating into Beijing, and Staying in Beijing." At the exhibition, participating universities set up booths according to their disciplinary strengths, covering fields such as aerospace, rail transit, energy and power, teacher education, international Chinese language, mathematics and humanities, food and business, tourism management, special education, and Olympic education. Local students and parents inquired about admission policies, program offerings, scholarship applications, and student life.
During the event, ceremonies were also held in both locations for the designation of student-source base schools and the signing of sister-school agreements, promoting the establishment of regular mechanisms between the two sides in areas such as student recruitment, inter-school collaboration, teacher education, and youth exchanges. Currently, Beijing hosts 65,800 international students from 183 countries and regions and ranks 12th globally in the QS Best Student Cities 2027 ranking. The exhibition not only promotes Beijing as a premier study destination but also reinforces China's educational diplomacy and people-to-people ties with Europe.
