As the Chinese New Year approaches, Premier Li Qiang held a symposium with recipients of the 2025 Chinese Government Friendship Award and foreign experts working in China on the afternoon of February 13 at the Great Hall of the People. Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang and State Councilors Wu Zhenglong and Chen Yiqin attended the symposium.
Professor Michael Edward Meadows from the School of Geography and Ocean Science at Nanjing University was invited to attend.
Michael Edward Meadows, the third person from the left in the second row
Li Qiang extended New Year greetings and sincere wishes to the foreign experts, thanking them for their long-term support of China's modernization. He carefully listened to their opinions and suggestions on China's development and government work. He emphasized that foreign experts in China are true friends of the Chinese people, and the Chinese government will strive to create a better environment for their work and life. This includes safeguarding peace and stability, strengthening support for various innovative policies, and optimizing services such as visas, social security, medical care, and education for their children. The goal is to make foreign talents feel more secure, comfortable, and successful in China, allowing them to achieve career success while feeling at home.
Professor Michael Meadows is an expert in geography, former President of the International Geographical Union (2020-2024), and Co-Chair of the Association for Trans-Eurasia Exchange and Silk-Road Civilization Development. He is currently a professor at NJU's School of Geography and Ocean Science.
Michael Meadows' research in China closely aligns with national strategic needs, focusing on sustainable development and ecological civilization. Collaborating with Chinese scholars, he has produced a series of theoretical outcomes that provide important references for policy practice. He actively builds high-level international exchange platforms, facilitating the hosting of the International Geographical Congress in China and enhancing China's international influence in geography. At NJU, he has significantly contributed to the rapid advancement of the geography discipline to the forefront of the world by promoting academic development and talent cultivation, introducing top scholars, creating cooperative platforms, and reforming teaching models. Additionally, he serves as an ambassador of cultural exchange, vividly sharing China's practices and achievements in ecological protection and high-quality development on international academic stages and mainstream media, effectively enhancing the international communication of China's story. Michael Meadows is concerned with sustainable development issues and has repeatedly called for further improving development quality and consolidating China’s leading position in ecological civilization and sustainable development by deepening urban greening, strengthening waste reduction and recycling, enhancing public awareness of energy-saving responsibilities, and accelerating actions for climate and biodiversity protection.
NJU will continue to use "Forging Ahead Initiative" as a means to vigorously promote the implementation of initiatives to enhance internationalization in education, continuously expanding international cooperation across various fields, and encouraging foreign experts to continue serving as bridges connecting China and the world, playing a greater role in fostering mutual understanding and trust, strengthening exchanges and mutual learning, and achieving mutual benefits and win-win outcomes.
