Peking University, Oct. 12, 2017: 20 years ago, international students in Peking University faced many difficulties to communicate with local students, besides there was no student-based foreign affairs office by that time. This situation was changed with the establishment of the Students' International Communication Association (SICA). Hao Ping, then-director of the Office of International Relations was the guiding teacher of SICA.
In its initial stage, SICA only took charge of affairs associated with foreign visitors and activities such as language partner programs and Peking University International Culture Festival. It was through these events that SICA soon bridged communication with international students in Peking University.
Throughout the last 20 years, SICA has not only played an important role on campus but also has become a bridge between China and the whole world by establishing long-term cooperative relations with many world-class universities.
In 2001, The Forum for American/Chinese Exchange at Stanford (FACES) was founded by SICA and Stanford University as an international organization representing a global network of young people who take building China-US relations as their lifelong endeavor. Today FACES has become the most influential student forum in the field of China-US relationship.
In 2005, students from SICA and Tokyo University established JING Forum in an effort to resolve the conflicts between these two countries. In the 45th anniversary of the normalization of China-Japan diplomatic relations, members from JING Forum helped to organize ‘One Thousand Chinese and Japanese University Students Meet’ which also invited Chinese Vice Premier Liu Yandong as a guest.
In response to the Belt and Road Initiative, SICA also founded China Arabia Multicultural Exchange Link (CAMEL) with the aim of fostering peaceful development of China and Arabic countries. China’s Foreign Ministry considered this program as a new momentum of China-Qatar cooperation and a tool to strengthen friendship between young students in the two countries.
Visiting Qatar
From Asia to Europe, from Bohai Gulf to Persian Gulf, it is impressive to see members of SICA along every corner of the ‘One Belt One Road’ countries. Like the international community, SICA is also evolving these years to provide youth with more opportunities of changing the world.
In the next 10 years, the ascent of China will bring SICA more responsibilities to promote mutual understanding and respect between young people from all over the world.
Written by: Peng Wei
Edited by: Angélica García
