On September 28, the Fifth Central Plains Higher Education Forum and the Forum on High-Quality Development of Higher Education in Central China were grandly held at the Huanghe State Guesthouse of Henan in Zhengzhou. Attendees included Zhang Zhijian, Secretary of the Party Committee of ZZULI, Wei Shizhong, President of ZZULI, and Zhou Liming, Vice Presidentof ZZULI, accompanied by heads of relevant functional departments.

President Wei Shizhong delivered a keynote speech entitled "Embracing the Era of Intelligence and Deepening Opening-up for Mutual Benefit: Empowering the New Journey of Central China's Rise with a New Ecosystem of Higher Education." In his speech, he pointed out that the ongoing Fourth Industrial Revolution, centered on artificial intelligence, is profoundly reshaping the global innovation landscape and industrial pattern. As a pivotal intersection of science and technology, talent, and innovation, higher education is experiencing systemic transformation in both its essence and functions. Closely aligned with General Secretary Xi Jinping's important instructions on the integrated development of education, science and technology, and talent, as well as the Ministry of Education's strategic deployment to advance educational digitalization and expand high-level opening-up, he emphasized that artificial intelligence is a revolutionary force reshaping the educational ecosystem, and high-level open education is an essential path to enhancing educational quality and international competitiveness. These two facets have charted the course for local universities to identify their position in the new era and achieve innovative development.

The speech met the current challengeshead-on and proposed initiatives to promote innovative development of regional higher education through collaborative co-construction, demonstrating a strong sense of the times, mission, and responsibility. This was not only an academic presentation but also an intellectual inspiration and a call to action, providing invaluable guidance for universities in Central China to advance educational innovation and open cooperation, and resonating strongly with attending guests.