June 30, 2026
On the afternoon of June 22, Palmerston North Institute of Xi'an University, PNI(XAU) was officially inaugurated. This Sino-New Zealand cooperative education institution settled in Xi’an, an ancient capital, serving as a brand-new platform for Shaanxi Province to connect with New Zealand and cultivate application-oriented international digital talents. It marks a landmark achievement for the university to actively integrate into the national education opening-up strategy, deepen cultural and educational exchanges between China and New Zealand, and advance high-level internationalized schooling of local universities.
The unveiling ceremony brought together representatives from Chinese and foreign education authorities, industry associations, partner universities, as well as provincial and municipal foreign affairs and education departments. Domestic attendees included Fang Jun, former Deputy Director-General of the Department of International Cooperation and Exchanges of the Ministry of Education, heads of multiple national education industry associations, foreign affairs consultants from Central South University, leaders from the Shaanxi Provincial Department of Education, Xi’an Municipal Foreign Affairs Office, Xi’an Municipal Bureau of Education, foreign affairs administrators of universities across the province, and international education experts. On-site representatives from New Zealand’s partner institution Universal College of Learning (UCOL) included Dean Rankin, Executive Dean, and Paula Richardson, Academic Portfolio Manager. Dr. Ron Xavier, Education Counsellor of the New Zealand Embassy in China and Director of Education New Zealand Greater China, delivered an address online. Wang Yuxuan, Party Secretary of Xi’an University (XAU), President Chen Gang, along with the university leadership team, heads of all administrative departments and secondary schools witnessed the unveiling.
Wang Yuxuan stated that Palmerston North Institute of Xi'an University stands as a core strategic project in Xi’an University (XAU)’s medium- and long-term development, representing a leap-forward breakthrough in the university’s Sino-foreign cooperative education. Rooted in the natural advantages of aligned educational philosophies and consistent development goals shared by the two Chinese and New Zealand institutions, he put forward four development priorities for the institute’s long-term growth:
1. Align with the Belt and Road Education Initiative to build a model demonstration platform for China-New Zealand educational cooperation.
2. Rely on two core majors — Software Engineering and Data Science and Big Data Technology — to fuel the digital economic transformation of Shaanxi Province and Xi’an, and deliver interdisciplinary talents.
3. Take Sino-foreign cooperative education as a starting point to deepen teaching reforms and comprehensively upgrade Xi’an University (XAU)’s internationalized schooling system.
4. Fulfill the fundamental task of fostering virtue through education, develop an integrated Chinese-foreign education model that balances knowledge and practice, and broaden students’ global vision.
He emphasized that Xi’an University (XAU) will strictly comply with relevant regulations governing Sino-foreign cooperative education, refine the quality control system, and strive to build the institute into a benchmark Sino-New Zealand cooperative institution with distinctive features and outstanding quality, nurturing young talents equipped with global perspectives and capable of serving the digital industry.
Fang Jun extended his congratulations on the institute’s establishment. He noted that Xi’an, the starting point of the Silk Road, boasts profound cultural heritage, and the two universities share highly consistent schooling positioning. The launch of the institute will not only boost the educational capacity of Xi’an University (XAU) but also help its New Zealand partner recruit international students, with the potential to create a replicable model for cultivating international application-oriented talents in Northwest China. He urged the institute to stay true to its educational mission, standardize school operations, uphold the bottom line of talent training quality, strengthen digital majors in response to local industrial demands of Xi’an, facilitate exchange visits between Chinese and New Zealand teachers and students by leveraging local historical and cultural resources, and act as a bridge to deepen friendly exchanges between the two countries. Meanwhile, he pledged that relevant associations will integrate industrial resources and provide long-term support for the institute in institutional management upgrading, policy coordination and high-quality resource introduction.
In his online address, Dr. Ron Xavier remarked that China and New Zealand have a solid foundation and frequent exchanges in education. Palmerston North Institute of Xi'an University opens a brand-new channel for young people from both countries to study and communicate. Education New Zealand will continue to empower deeper cooperation between Xi’an University (XAU) and UCOL, advancing the sharing of educational resources and two-way mobility of talents.
Dean Rankin reviewed the cooperation history and school-running plans of the two universities. He pointed out that Universal College of Learning (UCOL) has long focused on cultivating application-oriented talents, matching the schooling positioning of Xi’an University (XAU) perfectly. Moving forward, the two institutions will share curriculum resources, training bases and teaching staff, normalize teacher-student exchange visits and joint research, and jointly train digital professionals with both local competence and global vision.
Chinese and foreign leaders and guests stepped onto the stage together to unveil the plaque, officially launching the operation of this Sino-foreign cooperative education institution.
As an undergraduate-level cooperative institution, the institute adopts a "4+0" full domestic training model and offers digital technology majors taught jointly by Chinese and foreign faculty. Eligible students will be awarded diplomas from both universities upon graduation. Enrollment will kick off in 2026 with an initial intake of 140 students.
In the future, centering on the Belt and Road educational layout and Xi’an’s digital economic development plan, the institute will continuously introduce high-quality overseas curricula, international faculty and training systems, and build an integrated platform featuring bilingual instruction, joint practical training and international literacy cultivation. It will focus on cultivating interdisciplinary digital talents proficient in international rules and equipped with solid practical capabilities, keep expanding the breadth and depth of China-New Zealand educational cooperation, and strive to become a window for China-New Zealand educational exchanges, an important platform for Sino-foreign integrated education, and a talent supply base supporting regional digital industrial development.
Source: Publicity Department of the Party Committee, Palmerston North Institute of Xi'an University, PNI(XAU)
Editor: Sun Shiyan
Proofreader: Zheng Jie
Preliminary Review: Wang Li
Final Review: Tian Jian, Yu Hua, Bian Peiying
