The Institute of South-South Cooperation and Development (ISSCAD) at Peking University hosted its grand 2026 commencement and degree conferral on the afternoon of June 28 at the university’s Chengze Garden campus. 

The event was chaired by Professor LEI Xiaoyan, Boya Distinguished Professor of Peking University, Chair of Management Council of Peking University’s National School of Development (NSD), and Cheung Kong Chair Professor of Economics of the Ministry of Education.

Professor LEI Xiaoyan

Professor CHU Xiaobo, Vice President of Peking University, extended heartfelt congratulations to the 2026 graduating class on behalf of the university. He also expressed sincere gratitude to the China International Development Cooperation Agency, the Academy for International Business Officials under the Ministry of Commerce, all supporting partners, and faculty members for their dedication to the institute’s growth. Noting that ISSCAD is a landmark initiative personally announced by President Xi Jinping, Professor Chu highlighted the institute’s remarkable achievements over its decade of operation. Against the backdrop of profound global changes unseen in a century, he called on graduates to carry forward Peking University’s defining spirit of patriotism, a strong sense of mission, and harmony in diversity. He urged them to heed President Xi’s earnest exhortation in his reply to the institute’s first cohort of master’s graduates — to “go far through steady progress and grow into talents through solid accumulation” — by integrating China’s development experience with their own national contexts, applying their expertise to practice, and becoming pillars of domestic development and practitioners of global South-South cooperation.

Mr. ZHAO Fengtao, Vice Chairman of China International Development Cooperation Agency (CIDCA), stated in his address that ISSCAD has stayed true to its educational mission, building a dedicated governance exchange hub and high-end talent cultivation base for developing countries. Over the past decade, it has trained more than 500 government officials from over 80 countries through its master’s and doctoral programs. He encouraged graduates to forge ahead in solidarity, serving as pioneers in their home countries’ development, trusted partners in South-South cooperation, solid bridges for cross-border friendship, and drivers of global progress in the new era. CIDCA will continue to support ISSCAD’s development, he added, to build it into a flagship initiative in China’s foreign-aid human resources development cooperation.

Mr. ZHAO Fengtao

Mr. CHENG Hu, Vice President of the Academy for International Business Officials under the Ministry of Commerce, observed that ISSCAD’s education extends far beyond the classroom into the living practices of China’s development journey. This immersive approach, he said, has helped students grasp the people-centered philosophy of national governance and gain new insights to strengthen their own countries’ independent development capacity. He urged graduates to be down-to-earth builders who take root locally, aspiring pioneers who strive for progress, and collaborative connectors who bind the Global South together. He expressed hope that they would bring the wisdom and fortitude of Chinese civilization back to their home countries and write a new chapter in South-South cooperation and China’s friendship with the world.

Mr. CHENG Hu

Professor HUANG Yiping, Boya Distinguished Professor of Peking University and Dean of ISSCAD, delivered a congratulatory address on behalf of the institute. He reminded graduates of their historic mission, calling on them to serve as torchbearers of the Global South Consensus upon their return. By translating the vision of efficient market paired with proactive government into actionable policies, he said, they can help their countries create jobs, narrow inequality, and advance sustainable growth. He also encouraged graduates to leverage their lifelong classmate bonds to narrow development gaps and build a more united, resilient Global South.

Professor HUANG Yiping

Assistant Professor YU Hang, faculty representative at ISSCAD, illustrated the essence of international cooperation through vivid anecdotes of students across nations collaborating to overcome academic hurdles. He emphasized that differences between countries and civilizations are not a source of fear or conflict, but a foundation for mutual gain. “Prosperity is created not by taking from others, but by working with others.” He urged graduates to carry this spirit of collaboration and their expertise home, and to speak for peace and cooperation across the Global South.

Assistant Professor YU Hang

Yousef BOGIS from Saudi Arabia, a graduate of MPA Class of 2026, spoke on behalf of his fellow graduates. He said their academic journey had yielded far more than professional knowledge: it had deepened their understanding of shared development challenges and woven a collective vision of the Global South through each other’s stories. He thanked faculty for their egalitarian pedagogy and staff for their warm support, describing the cross-continental network of peers as the program’s most precious gift. “The real test of this program won’t be written on any diploma,” he remarked, but “will be written in what each of us builds, back where we come from, with what we now know.”

Yousef BOGIS

Michael Akol LODIS from Kenya, a graduate of Doctoral Class of 2026, shared that his fellow classmates were practitioners carrying real-world experience from across the Global South. At ISSCAD, they had gained insights beyond methodologies: genuine South-South cooperation lies in the deep integration of rigorous, evidence-based practice and sincere partnership. Development issues, he argued, are best understood and solved by scholars and practitioners rooted in the Global South with world-class research capabilities. The graduates, he pledged, will bring evidence-based thinking home, advance pragmatic policy implementation, nurture the next generation of researchers, and repay the trust of the institute through action.

Michael Akol LODIS

ZENG Yuanyuan, a Chinese Doctoral graduate from the People’s Bank of China, reflected on the sincere cross-cultural friendships she built with classmates from 21 countries. For her, South-South cooperation has evolved from an abstract concept into tangible trust and connection among peers. Drawing a parallel between doctoral studies and mountain trail running, she shared that courage is not the absence of fear, but the resolve to press forward even when fear holds you back. That courage and perseverance, she said, will carry all graduates through the challenges ahead.

ZENG Yuanyuan

Following the addresses, Professor DENG Ziliang, Assistant Dean of ISSCAD, NSD professor and Cheung Kong Young Scholar of the Ministry of Education, read out the 2026 list of doctoral and master’s graduates. Dressed in full academic regalia, graduates proceeded to the stage one by one, where Vice Chairman ZHAO Fengtao presented graduation certificates and Professor HUANG Yiping turned the tassel for each graduate. 

With warm applause and well wishes from faculty, peers, and family members, the graduates — equipped with knowledge and aspirations, united by the vision of South-South cooperation, and entrusted with the mission of domestic development — embarked on their new journey as builders of the Global South.