On October 25, the 2025 Annual Conference of the Spanish Subcommittee of the National Advisory Committee on Teaching Foreign Languages to Majors in Higher Education under the Ministry of Education was held at Jilin University. The conference was hosted by the Spanish Subcommittee of the National Advisory Committee on Teaching Foreign Languages to Majors in Higher Education and organized by the Spanish Department of the School of Foreign Languages and Cultures, Jilin University. With the theme of “Sustainable Development of Spanish Programs”, the conference brought together more than 100 experts and scholars from nearly 70 universities across China, as well as representatives from several publishing institutions.
The opening ceremony was presided over by Zhang Rui, Vice Dean of the School of Foreign Languages and Cultures at Jilin University and a member of the Spanish Subcommittee. Zhang Guoxing, Member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Jilin University Committee and Vice President of Jilin University; Chang Fuliang, Dean of the School of Spanish and Portuguese at Beijing Foreign Studies University and Chair of the Spanish Subcommittee; and Pan Haiying, Dean of the School of Foreign Languages and Cultures at Jilin University, attended the opening ceremony and delivered speeches.
Three keynote reports were delivered at the conference. Chang Fuliang gave a report titled “Challenges in Spanish Program Development and Sustainable Development of the Program”. Lu Yun, Director of the Institute of Spanish Language and Culture at Zhejiang University and a member of the Spanish Subcommittee, delivered a report titled “Development and Trends of the National Undergraduate Academic Forum for Spanish Majors: Academic Directions, Organizational Experience, and Future Prospects”. He Xiaojing, Secretary-General of the Spanish Subcommittee, presented a report titled “Summary of the National Test for Spanish Majors, Levels 4 and 8”.
During the group discussions, participants exchanged views on three topics: enhancing students’ intercultural communication competence, cultivating interdisciplinary Spanish talents, and promoting the professional development of Spanish teachers. Cao Wei, Chair of the Spanish Department at the School of European Languages and Cultures of Xi’an International Studies University; Li Xiang, Chair of the Spanish Department at Tianjin Foreign Studies University; and Liao Yue, Chair of the Spanish Department at Sun Yat-sen University, served as moderators for the three groups, respectively. Focusing on the conference theme, participants shared successful practices in enhancing students’ intercultural competence, cultivating interdisciplinary Spanish talents, and supporting Spanish teachers’ professional development, while also discussing future directions and possible pathways.
After the group moderators reported the outcomes of their discussions to the plenary session, representatives from Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press and Shanghai Foreign Language Education Press introduced the latest Spanish textbooks, readers, and dictionaries published by their presses. Finally, Chang Fuliang delivered closing remarks, expressed his thanks to all participants, and announced the conclusion of the annual conference.
