Entity Type: PRC University

Founded on September 29, 2024, the Tianjin University Global South Institute (天津大學全球南方研究院) is China’s first university-based research center dedicated to Global South studies. Housed within the School of Foreign Languages and led by Executive Director Professor Wang Zhan (王戰), the institute operates as a state-oriented think tank explicitly tasked with serving Chinese national strategy and advancing Beijing’s vision of a “community with a shared future for mankind.” It maintains four research centers focused on Francophone countries, the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, East Asia, and the United States and India, and runs a multilingual public opinion monitoring and AI translation platform tracking political and social developments across Global South nations.

Founded in 1895 as Peiyang University (北洋大學) by statesman Sheng Xuanhuai under a Qing imperial charter, Tianjin University is the oldest institution of higher education in modern Chinese history. Renamed Tianjin University in 1951 following the nationwide restructuring of colleges under the People’s Republic, it was designated one of China’s first sixteen national key universities in 1959 and is now a Ministry of Education-administered institution under the country’s Double First-Class construction program for world-class universities. Today it collaborates with more than 260 institutions across 50 countries and encompasses schools spanning engineering, science, law, humanities, and medicine, with particular strength in chemical engineering, materials science, and precision instrumentation.

Fujian Normal University (福建師範大學), or FNU, located in the provincial capital city of Fuzhou, is a public university founded in 1907, making it Fujian’s oldest university and one of China’s oldest teachers’ colleges. It acquired its current name in 1972. The university operates 28 colleges offering undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral programs across a wide range of disciplines. FNU has been authorized by the state to provide teacher training for elementary, secondary, and higher education institutions, and has been designated as one of four national bases for teaching Chinese as a foreign language to students from Southeast Asia — a mandate that has made it an active partner in China’s overseas Chinese-language education network. FNU currently partners with Angeles University Foundation in the Philippines to operate the Confucius Institute at Angeles University Foundation (CI-AUF).

The Hunan Biological and Electromechanical Polytechnic (湖南生物機電職業技術學院) is a public vocational institution in Changsha, Hunan Province, China, formed in May 2001. The Hunan Provincial Education Department describes the college’s mission as training vocational-technical personnel at the diploma level while conducting research, continuing education, and social services. The institution offers programs in agriculture, manufacturing, vehicle engineering, and food technology. In February 2026, the college signed a cooperation agreement with Gofa Industrial College in Ethiopia to establish a “Chinese + Vocational Skills” workshop and training base focused on agricultural technology and vocational education collaboration.

The Zhejiang Normal University (浙江師範大學), or ZJNU, is a comprehensive higher education institution located in Jinhua City, Zhejiang Province. Established in 1956, the university offers programs across education, humanities, sciences, and engineering, with particular strength in teacher education. ZJNU claims to have established cooperative relationships with over 280 institutions in more than 50 countries globally. Liu Hongwu (刘鸿武), the Dean of the Institute of African Studies, attended the  “Global South Media and Think Tank High-End Forum China-Africa Partners Conference” event, which took place on November 13, 2024.

Liaoning Communication University (遼寧傳媒學院), or LNCU, is a higher education institution located in the city of Shenyang, in northeastern China’s Liaoning province. Established in 1991, the university is one of eight dedicated media and communication universities in China. It offers 19 undergraduate specialties, including programs taught in English on animation design, internet and multimedia, and visual communication design.  LNCU says it has established academic exchange relationships with several institutions globally, including in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and France — but does not offer concrete information about such cooperation.

Wuhan College of Communications (武汉传媒学院), also known as WHMC, is a university located in Wuhan, central China’s Hubei province. Initially established in 2004 as the Wuhan Film and Television Engineering College of Central China Normal University (华中师范大学武汉影视工程学院), it was renamed in 2007 and became its own distinct institution in 2016. The university has eight academic colleges offering 32 undergraduate programs across disciplines, including journalism and communication, broadcasting and hosting arts, film and television, design, and digital media technology.

The Beijing Foreign Studies University (北京外國語大學 ),or BFSU, is a higher education institution located in China’s capital city. Established in 1941, the university is regarded as one of China’s most prestigious language universities and — like all universities — a key national institution under the Ministry of Education. The university offers 101 foreign language programs and 122 undergraduate specialties, including programs in international journalism, global communication, and diplomatic studies. BFSU claims to have established academic exchanges with over 300 institutions in more than 80 countries and regions globally, including partnerships in South Korea, the United States, Japan, and across Europe. BFSU has stated that one of its missions is to train “multimedia international communication strategic talent” (全媒体国际传播战略人才).