In the afternoon of December 13, the Faculty of Architecture, Civil and Transportation Engineering (FACTE) and the School of Geography and Planning of Cardiff University held a video conference on the MD-PhD dual-degree training program for urban and rural planning.

The video conference was the first video call that Professor Gillian Bristow, the Dean of School of Geography and Planning of Cardiff University, made with Beijing University of Technology (BJUT) to discuss international cooperation soon after her appointment. Professor Chen Yanyan, Deputy Dean of FACTE, Professor Zhao Zhifeng, Head of the Department of Urban and Rural Planning, Professor Li Qiang, Professor Wang Jianqiang and Associate Professor Xue Fei from School of Planning attended the meeting. Before discussing the talent training program, Professor Liu Zhaomiao, Director of the International Office of BJUT, introduced the achievements BJUT has made in running the university and open education. She also recognized the accomplishments Cardiff University and BJUT have achieved in talent training and reiterated that the International Office would continue to support Cardiff University and BJUT for more extensive exchanges and cooperation. Professor Gillian Bristow and Deputy Dean Chen Yanyan gave an overview of the School of Geography and Planning of Cardiff University and FACTE of BJUT respectively. Wang Xiaofan, in charge of international education in Graduate School, introduced the student exchange policy and its funding policy. Dr. Xue Fei, Department of Urban and Rural Planning, introduced the discipline. While looking back into the history of cooperation between the Department of Urban and Rural Planning of BJUT and the Department of Urban and Regional Planning of Cardiff University, both sides proposed and discussed the plan of the comprehensive implementation of the dual-degree training program. A new pattern of international talent training in urban and rural planning is in the making.

Cardiff University is a comprehensive research university in Cardiff, Wales, the UK, and a member of GW4 and the Russell Group. Cardiff University contains three colleges, 24 academic schools and has a total enrollment of over 31,000. Over the years, the Department of Urban and Rural Planning of FACTE has established stable and in-depth cooperation with the Department of Urban and Regional Planning of Cardiff University. A number of programs, including the "1+1+1" dual-degree training program for postgraduate students and the "2+2+1" international training program for undergraduates, have been carried out. So far, nearly 20 students have participated in the exchange program with Cardiff University. Among them, six postgraduates have obtained master's degrees from both universities. Professor Yu Li, Director of China-UK Research Centre for Eco-cities and Sustainable Development at Cardiff University, Principal Investigator of the Research Department of the Chinese Society for Urban Studies, and an eco-city expert, has been teaching the highly-recognized international course of "Eco-cities and Sustainable Planning" together with BJUT faculty for five years since it was included in the postgraduate training program in 2016. In 2019, Professor Yu Li was appointed as the liaison officer of BJUT in the UK to assist BJUT in expanding exchange and cooperation with the UK and Europe.