Vice Minister of Education Xu Qingsen addressed three parallel sessions at the 2026 World Digital Education Conference in Hangzhou on May 12. He delivered remarks on: “Building New Scientific Research Capabilities: Transforming Research Paradigms with AI,” “Leading Higher Education Through Digital and Intelligent Innovation: Building a New Ecosystem for Talent Development,” and “Intelligent Manufacturing and Future-Oriented Training.”

Xu acknowledged the profound impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on research paradigms. He called for deeper international cooperation to build a multi-party innovation mechanism featuring interdisciplinary collaboration and integration across value chains. He highlighted the need to share resources for AI-powered innovation such as data, models, and tools, to facilitate the nurturing of high-level talent in the age of AI.

Xu underlined the need to advance AI integration across the whole education sector, covering all teaching activities, all learning environments, and all learning processes. He also stressed the importance of research on AI ethics, algorithm security, and privacy protection.

Xu said that practical training, as a key area in the development of skilled technicians, is also undergoing fundamental changes. He expressed hope that countries will join hands to explore a new training model adapted to the evolving industrial landscape and establish new vertically and horizontally aligned standards for vocational education.