On December 23, Nanjing University and the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) signed a strategic cooperation agreement in Beijing, jointly embarking on a new journey of cooperation between the two sides. Before the signing ceremony, Gao Xiang, President and Party Secretary of the CASS; and Zhao Rui, Vice President and Member of the Party Leadership Group of the CASS, held talks and exchanges with Tan Tieniu, Chair of NJU CPC Council and Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS); Tan Zhemin, President of NJU and Academician of the CAS, and their delegation. Zhao Rui and Tan Zhemin signed the agreement on behalf of both parties.
Tan Tieniu pointed out that the fourth plenary session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China has made overall arrangements for the prosperity and development of philosophy and social sciences, marking a shift of China's philosophy and social sciences from "following and running together" to "running together and leading," which is not only necessary to cope with international competition and gain strategic initiative, but also an inevitable requirement for consolidating the theoretical foundation of socialist modernization and enriching the forms of human civilization. It has clarified the new mission of constructing philosophy and social sciences with Chinese characteristics in the new era. The CASS is the leading force in China's philosophy and social sciences, and NJU is one of the strongholds of higher education in China. The two sides are highly compatible in terms of ideological guidance, path innovation, and resource advantages. Tan Tieniu expressed the hope that both parties will take this signing as an opportunity to further deepen collaborative innovation and jointly make new and greater contributions to the prosperity of Chinese academia, the development of Chinese theory, the dissemination of Chinese thought, and the telling of China's stories well.
Tan Zhemin pointed out that strong alliances, resource sharing, collaborative tackling of key problems, and forming joint forces are important ways to improve the quality and efficiency of the development of philosophy and social sciences. NJU and the CASS have a profound historical connection, and cooperation between the two sides will surely promote the high-quality development of China's philosophy and social sciences, contributing wisdom and strength to a new chapter of Chinese modernization. He put forward three suggestions for pragmatic promotion of cooperation: first, further deepen strategic coordination and consolidate the foundation of strategic cooperation; second, further deepen tackling key tasks and shoulder the core mission of constructing an independent knowledge system; third, further deepen mechanism collaboration, and highlight the global influence of Chinese academia through joint platform building and resource sharing. He looks forward to both parties making concerted efforts in leading academic frontiers and spreading China's voice, and continuously achieving new and excellent results in serving the country's great undertakings.
The signing of this strategic cooperation agreement is an important measure for the CASS and NJU to thoroughly study and implement President Xi Jinping's cultural thought, fully implement his important expositions on philosophy and social sciences, deepen collaborative innovation in philosophy and social sciences, and promote the high-quality development of philosophy and social sciences. It is also an important beginning for both parties to deepen cooperation and jointly seek development. Both sides will rely on their respective advantages to strengthen cooperation in research projects, discipline construction, talent cultivation, and academic exchanges, further enhance their ability to serve decision-making and society, and jointly contribute wisdom and strength to accelerating the construction of an independent knowledge system for Chinese philosophy and social sciences and comprehensively promoting Chinese modernization.
During the meeting, representatives of both sides conducted in-depth exchanges and discussions on cooperation matters such as academic research, platform construction, talent cultivation, and think tank development. Relevant responsible comrades from departments of the CASS, NJU leaders Chen Yunsong and Li Bin, as well as responsible persons from relevant schools attended the signing ceremony.
