In the world of mathematics, the United States is becoming an outlier. The International Congress of Mathematicians (ICM) – the world’s most important mathematics conference and the venue for awarding the prestigious Fields Medal – is facing worldwide opposition because the US is hosting this year’s event in Philadelphia in July. More than 2,300 mathematicians from at least 76 countries have signed an online petition to “move the 2026 ICM out of the US” and “commit not to participate in the ICM...
China has launched a national action plan to embed AI across its education system, in a strategic push to future-proof its workforce amid intensifying global competition in advanced technologies. The “AI+ Education” action plan, unveiled by the Ministry of Education and four other ministerial-level bodies, mandates the integration of artificial intelligence at every stage of learning – from primary schools to lifelong education. The initiative builds on China’s long-term education plan to the...
In classrooms and training centres across China, a growing number of students from Southeast Asia, Africa and beyond are learning not just the Chinese language, but how the country’s factories operate, how supply chains are managed and how products are marketed and sold across borders. Hebei Software Institute, in the northern city of Baoding, has been at the forefront of the push. The vocational college said it had established multiple overseas-oriented programmes in recent years, particularly...
One of China’s most prestigious universities has apologised and withdrawn a mini-film made to celebrate its 130th anniversary amid accusations of gender bias. On March 31, Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU) released the film to mark its coming birthday. The institution was founded on April 6, 1896, by Sheng Xuanhuai, an important minister and an entrepreneur in the late Qing dynasty (1636–1912). The video, No 800 of Dongchuan Road, was named after the address of the vast Minhang campus of the...