June 1, a 30 member delegation from Harvard Kennedy School (HKS) paid a visit to SPPM. Dean Xue Lan hosted the group and introduced to them the history of the school and talked about the development challenges faced by China, in particular the education of government officials in public management. Students from HKS raised many issues pertaining to the education system of public servants, the issue of corruption and the uniqueness of China’s development as compared to other developing countries.

     Several academics also gave presentations on different aspects of modern China. Prof. Yao Yang, Deputy Director of CCER at Peking University discussed China’s economy, Dean Wang Zhenmin from the Law School at Tsinghua University discussed the rule of law in China, Dean Chen Jain from the School of International Studies at Renmin University discussed China’s diplomacy and Dean Li Xiguang from the School of Communication at Tsinghua University talked about the Chinese media.

     After the discussions, the group joined with staff and students of SPPM and the Institute of Development Studies at Sussex University for a shared lunch at the school canteen for further informal talks and discussions.