Wenzhou Business College Opens Academic Year with International Flair

Summary

Wenzhou Business College held its 2026 opening ceremony and welcome gala on 9 October under the theme 'Walk in the Light · It's Good to Meet', featuring a 1,500-drone display that formed messages including 'Everyone Shines' and 'Study Business at Wenzhou Business College'. Ten dignitaries and scholars from seven countries — the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Norway and Ethiopia — attended. Former New Zealand Prime Minister Jenny Shipley urged new students to 'carry forward China's historical heritage and create a new future together', former Ethiopian President Mulatu Teshome encouraged young people worldwide to learn Chinese, and Glenn Diesen, professor of international relations at the University of South-Eastern Norway, described the drone display as 'breathtaking to the point of speechlessness'.

The guests were in Wenzhou for the 2026 Wenzhou Business Development Dialogue and Zhejiang 'Belt and Road' Think Tank Forum, which opened on 10 October and focused on 'China's Industrial Upgrading and Global Cooperation in the High-Quality Development of the Belt and Road'. The college used the international conference's spillover resources as the 'first lesson' for new students. President Wang Wen said in his address that over the past six months the college has deepened cooperation with Renmin University of China, with more than 200 students having taken part in study programmes there and 100 currently on exchange.

Founded in 1999 from the School of Information Science and Engineering and the School of Economics of Wenzhou University, the college was approved by the Ministry of Education in 2016 to become Zhejiang's first full-time private undergraduate university converted from an independent college. Student numbers have grown from fewer than 8,000 before the conversion to more than 20,000 today, with 34 undergraduate programmes and 10 diploma programmes. It has established partnerships with more than 100 overseas institutions, and more than 3,000 students have gone on to study at world-renowned universities.

More than 8,000 new students enrolled in September this year. The college aims to apply for master's degree-granting status and to build the 'Study Business at Wenzhou Business College' brand while pursuing its 'Best Service for Students' philosophy.

Commentary

By turning the spillover resources of an international think tank forum into its opening ceremony and inviting former New Zealand Prime Minister Jenny Shipley and dignitaries and scholars from seven countries, Wenzhou Business College has highlighted a new internationalisation strategy among China's private universities. For small and medium-sized business owners in New Zealand, the story may seem unrelated to commerce, but it signals potential shifts in China's education market and talent flows. As the only business-focused undergraduate institution in southern Zhejiang, northern Fujian and eastern Jiangxi, Wenzhou Business College is positioning its 'Study Business at Wenzhou Business College' brand and its Wenzhou 'business across the world' DNA to cultivate young talent with both business knowledge and an international outlook.

The attendance of the former New Zealand Prime Minister not only adds prestige to the ceremony but also hints at the potential for deeper New Zealand-China educational exchange. New Zealand education providers and related service businesses could look at the internationalisation needs of Chinese private universities, such as short courses, faculty exchange or overseas internship programmes for students. On the other hand, the college's partnerships with more than 100 institutions worldwide and its 3,000-plus students who have studied abroad mean more Chinese business graduates will enter the international market in future.

New Zealand SMEs looking to expand into China could draw on such talent, which combines bilingual skills and international exposure. However, whether the 'light' of a single ceremony can last depends on whether the college can genuinely translate international resources into teaching substance rather than leaving them at the marketing level. Wenzhou Business College has set a goal of applying for master's degree-granting status.

If successful, its graduates' competitiveness will rise further, with possible long-term implications for New Zealand-China talent flows and business cooperation.

Keywords: Wenzhou Business College, opening ceremony, Jenny Shipley, Wenzhou Business Development Dialogue, Belt and Road Think Tank Forum, Wang Wen, drone display, international exchange, private university, 2026 cohort

Source: Wenzhou Business College