On September 28, 2026, Alexis Saunders, Consul in the Political and Economic Section of the U.S. Consulate General in Shanghai, and Zhang Ting, a specialist, visited the Middle East Studies Institute (MESI) of Shanghai International Studies University (SISU).

Ding Long, Deputy Director of the MESI of SISU along with researchers Liu Zhongmin, Qian Xuming, Zhao Jun, Han Jianwei, Zhao Jing, and Ma Wenyan, participated in the exchange event.

Deputy Director Ding Long welcomed Consul Alexis Saunders and briefly introduced the team structure, research areas, academic journals, and international exchange activities of the MESI of SISU. Subsequently, the two sides engaged in an in-depth exchange on topics including the reciprocal visits by the Chinese and U.S. leaders, China’s diplomacy toward the Middle East, pressing issues in the Middle East, and the China-U.S. dialogue on artificial intelligence.

Deputy Director Ding Long once again thanked Consul Alexis Saunders for her visit. He looked forward to strengthening cooperation with U.S. universities and institutions in the field of Middle East studies in the future, and to jointly promoting people-to-people exchanges and academic dialogue between China and U.S.