From August 20 to 25, 2026, a delegation from the Middle East Studies Institute at Shanghai International Studies University traveled to Türkiye for academic exchanges. The delegation included Professor Ding Long (delegation leader), Researcher Zhang Yuan, Associate Professor Han Jianwei, and Dr. Zhao Jing.

On the morning of August 20, the delegation visited Boğaziçi University, where the two sides discussed the scope of future cooperation and the establishment of mechanisms and platforms.

On August 21–22, International Conference on China-Türkiye Relations from the Perspective of the Global Middle East Retrospect and Prospect on the 55th Anniversary jointly organized by Boğaziçi University and the MESI of SISU was held. Participants engaged in in-depth discussions on topics including the 55th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Türkiye, China’s Middle East policy, the global Middle East, and regional hot-button issues.

On the morning of August 23, Professor Fatih Usluer, Vice President of Boğaziçi University, met with the delegation to discuss matters such as faculty and student exchange programs, joint research and publications, and the institutionalization of cooperation. That same afternoon, the delegation visited Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (Türkiye) Co., Ltd. to exchange views on issues including China-Türkiye financial cooperation and green finance.

On the morning of August 24, the delegation visited Glory Company’s representative office in Türkiye to conduct research.; that same afternoon, the delegation visited Istanbul University to discuss topics including faculty and student exchanges, collaborative research, and joint publications, and reached a memorandum of understanding.

On the morning of August 25, the delegation visited the Türkiye-China Friendship and Consultation Association for Overseas Chinese to conduct research and exchange views on topics such as policies regarding overseas Chinese affairs and the international expansion of Chinese enterprises.

This academic visit represents an important initiative by the MESI of SISU to continuously advance innovation in the “Global Middle East” research paradigm. Through field research, the visit deepens understanding of the specific national conditions, cultural environments, political systems, and market concepts of Middle Eastern countries, enhances awareness of these nations’ capacity for autonomous development and their relationships with neighboring regions and global production and supply chains, and serves the broader context of cooperation between China and Middle Eastern countries.