02 Jul 2025
30 June 2025, Suzhou - Seventy students from over a dozen countries—including Australia, Belgium, Germany, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Russia, Singapore, Spain, and Vietnam—have arrived in Suzhou to take part in this year’s “Doing Business in a Changing China” Summer School, co-hosted by the International Business School Suzhou (IBSS) and the Department of China Studies at Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University (XJTLU).
Over the next two weeks, this globally diverse group will immerse themselves in China’s evolving business landscape through a rich blend of academic study, industry engagement and cultural exploration.
Professor Ewout van der Schaft
In his welcoming remarks, Professor Ewout van der Schaft, Associate Dean for Internationalisation at IBSS, underscored the importance of equipping students with future-ready skills:"Beyond technical business knowledge, we prioritise critical thinking and cross-cultural communication—skills that will define leadership in the AI era," he stated.
Dr Emily Williams
Professor van der Schaft also highlighted IBSS’s triple accreditation status, its state-of-the-art financial trading floor, and its longstanding academic partnership with the University of Liverpool. Speaking from the perspective of cultural immersion, Dr Emily Williams, Head of China Studies, positioned Suzhou as a microcosm of China’s evolution:" Where Ming-Qing gardens coexist with the Suzhou Industrial Park, this city embodies China’s transition from ancient wisdom to technological innovation."
She invited students to extend their learning through additional academic pathways at XJTLU including the? Diploma in China Studies and MA in China Studies.
Dr Nimesh Salike
The academic structure of the summer school was introduced by Dr Nimesh Salike, Associate Dean for Teaching and Learning at IBSS. Dr Salike mentioned that over the two weeks students will engage with three core modules blending academic lectures, corporate visits, and cultural experiences. The programme also includes customised Chinese language courses, group business planning projects, and city tours of Suzhou and Shanghai, alongside visits to three benchmark enterprises. Dr Salike also introduced the wider team academic team including the summer school’s Academic Lead, Zhang Huaiyuan, the programme faculty, along with XJTLU’s student volunteers and IBSS’s Work Placement, Employability and Career Development(WEC) team.? Practical guidance on student safety and wellbeing was shared by Markus Davis, International Student Support Officer at X-Global: "China is one of the safest countries globally, but basic precautions remain essential." He reminded students of local laws and policies, emergency procedures and precautions for coping with summer heat.
Markus Davis
Rounding off the opening ceremony, Professor Eddy Fang, Deputy Dean of IBSS, emphasized the long-term value of the connections being made: "consider this programme your gateway to a lifelong network of China experts." With 180 faculty members in IBSS and even more across the wider campus, he urged students to connect with academics for thesis guidance or career insights. "These relationships will serve you long after the two weeks end—whether for research or navigating China’s business landscape", remarked professor Fang.
Professor Eddy Fang
As a cornerstone of XJTLU’s international education strategy, the summer school equips participants with both tactical business acumen and cross-cultural competency. "By integrating classroom learning with corporate exposure, we nurture the next generation of global leaders who understand China’s role in the world economy," concluded ceremony host Yidan Liu from IBSS’s WEC team.
Yidan Liu
02 Jul 2025