On May 6th, the delegation led by Mr. Chen Zhu, the Vice-Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress and thePresident of the Red Cross Society of China (RCSC) visited Soochow University and investigated the development of medical education and the conditions for RCSC’s building the Red Cross International College with the university.
Attendees of related investigation activities include relevant administrators and comrades from the NPC, the Red Cross Societies at state, provincial and municipal levels, the general offices of the provincial people’s congress and the provincial government, all the university leaders staying at the city, and the major directors of relevant colleges, schools and functional departments.
On the morning, the delegation Led by Vice-Chairman Chen Zhu visited CAM-SU Genomic Resource Center, the Institutes of Biology and Medical Sciences, and the Key Laboratory of Radiological Medicine and Protection, and listened to the introduction made by related professor on the construction and operation mode of laboratory platforms, and the research team construction, international performance and future development of relevant institutes. Besides, after listening to the researchers’ introductions about their research fields in the lab and watching the experimental operations of students and teachers closely, Mr. Chen also encourages the students to master related expertise and make more contributions to the development of the medical and health causes in China.
Afterwards, Secretary Jiang Yong of the Party Committee of the institution held a debriefing on the development of school reforms and the current status of Soochow University. There at the meeting, President Xiong Sidong expounded the general information about the reforms and developments of the university and introduced the reform measures and achievements made in talent cultivation, faculty construction, scientific researches, social services and international cooperation.
At the end of the debriefing, Vice-Chairman Chen Zhu claimed that the glorious history and abundant accumulation of education experiences and humanistic culture have left a deep impression on him. It is noticeable that the university has made great efforts in areas like discipline layout, faculty team construction, localization, and open schooling. All these reforms fully manifest the university’s emphases on the cause of high-quality education. With an in-depth analysis on the great opportunities in medical education and the huge challenges for medical talents, Vice-Chairman Chen Zhu, by combining the development status of the medical education reforms at Soochow University, encouraged the institution to build a more complete medical education system by making full use of comprehensive university’s advantages in developing medical education and integrating the frontiers of related sciences and the strategic needs of China. While consolidating the quality of medical education in Soochow University, the institution should also promote the combination of medical education with the requirements set in the health care system reform. Mr. Chen hoped that as an ambitious institute, Soochow University could make more achievements during the implementation process of the Healthy China strategy by positioning itself properly in the new era of socialism with Chinese characteristics and pursuing a new future.
On the afternoon, the delegation also investigated the current conditions of the Red Cross Society at Soochow University, the Research Center of Red Cross Movement under the School of Sociology, and the Foresight Building and Green Wave Building at Tiancizhuang campus. After listening to the general report of Professor Chi Zihua (Director of the Research Center of Red Cross Movement) on the current studies at the research center, Vice-Chairman Chen communicated with the students in the Red Cross Society of Soochow University on the development of RCS in higher institutions.
At the Symposium for the development of Red Cross Movement in Soochow University, President XiongSidong, after reviewing the centenary connections between the Chinese Red Cross Movement and Suzhou and the university, introduced the research results achieved by the university on Red Cross Movement and the widespread Red Cross culture in the institution, especially the cases concerning students’ and teachers’ engagement in disaster relief and humanitarian aids under the spirit of Red Cross. At the end of his speech, Xiong claimed that by inheriting the Red Cross spirits featuring humanity, philanthropism, and devotion and making full use of current advantages in the studies of Red Cross and related disciplines, Soochow University would, together with RCSC, develop the Red Cross International College into a cultivation base for high-quality Red Cross talents, a research center for high-level Red Cross studies, and a platform for high-level international exchanges on Red Cross affairs, with the purposes of serving for “the Belt and Road” Initiatives and facilitating the construction of a community of common destiny for all mankind.
As the deputy secretary and vice president of the Party committee of RCSC, the president of Chinese Red Cross Foundation, and the director member of the organizing committee of Red Cross International College, Mr. Guo Changjiang explained that after the investigations in many places, we eventually decided to co-build the Red Cross International College with Soochow University. He hoped that with the efforts of both sides, we could build a teaching institution and a research institute focusing on the studies in Red Cross Movements, talent cultivation, culture promotion, and academic exchanges. By cultivating more excellent professionals for the legal businesses of the Red Cross Society, the Red Cross International College is expected to serve as an important domestic and international think tank for the studies in Red Cross Movements and provide intellectual supports and solutions for the better development of Red Cross Movements.
Leaders from relevant departments of the provincial and municipal governments also made some speeches after the exchange session. Deputy Director Qu Futian of the standing committee of the provincial people’s congress expressed his heartfelt thanks for Vice-Chairman Chen’s concerns and supports. He pointed out that the establishment of the Red Cross International College was definitely a valuable opportunity for Soochow University’s making full use of the advantages in related disciplines, especially those in the studies of the Red Cross, for it would not only promote the internationalization of the university but facilitate the development of the Red Cross causes in China. The province would spare no effort to implement the requirements mentioned in Chen’s speech, and would facilitate the construction of the Red Cross International College with practical actions.
In the conclusion session of the symposium, Vice-Chairman Chen reviewed the historical reforms of RCSC, the development trend of Red Cross Movements, and the future outlook of the Red Cross causes. He pointed out that since the tenth national convention of the RCSC, the organization started to pay more attention to the assistances to the government in international humanitarian affairs, provide humanitarian aids to poverty-stricken areas and the impoverished, and serve for the heath care caused in the countries and regions along the Belt and the Road. Building the Red Cross International College is exactly a manifestation of the implementation of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, and an important measure to carry out the spirits in Xi’s essential talks about the cause of Red Cross. After expressing his thanks for Soochow University’s efforts in the cause of Red Cross and the outstanding contributions made by the Red Cross Society in Jiangsu Province and Suzhou City, Chen made some pivotal arrangements on the construction of the Red Cross International College in the next phase. He hoped that by taking advantage of this symposium, both sides could better their understandings of the missions and tasks concerning the construction of the Red Cross International College, further promote feasible plans, and accelerate the substantial construction process by establishing a specialized organization. Hopefully, with the joint efforts of both sides, the college could make more new contributions to the protection of life and health, the promotion of social progresses, the development of international humanitarian causes, and the construction of a great modern socialist country that is prosperous, strong, democratic, culturally advanced, harmonious, and beautiful, and
On behalf of the university, Secretary Jiang Yong expressed his gratitude to the leaders from related departments, and the state, provincial and municipal governments for their supports and concerns about the construction of the Red Cross International College at Soochow University.
It is said that the Red Cross International College co-build by RCSC and Soochow University is now under preparation. With the basis of cultivating research-oriented talents in Red Cross Movements, the college would focus on the areas covering Red Cross Culture, International Humanitarian Law, Global Public Health, Rescue Medicine, Disaster Medicine and Geriatrics. With the purpose of building an educational promotion institution for professionals in international humanitarian works, the college is expected to serve as the think tank of International Red Cross Society, and the organization for the researches and promotion of theories in international Red Cross Movements and International Humanitarian Law, for the consultancy on the development planning, performance evaluation and operation management of Red Cross movements, and for the production, collection, release and application development concerning the statistics, cases and training sessions of Red Cross movements.
