Weng Tiehui, vice-mayor of Shanghai, said the city has been committed to innovation in English education to make it suit the all-around growth of talent and the continued development of the city and the country.

“The 2018 TESOL China Assembly being held here is an affirmation of Shanghai’s English education,” she said.

Jiang Feng, Party secretary of Shanghai International Studies University, where the assembly is being held, said the gathering offered an opportunity for English teachers to learn advanced teaching philosophies and talent cultivation from fellow teachers around the world.

“I believe that future development of China’s English education will be further inspired by this gathering,” he said.

Li Hai, deputy director of the Ministry of Education’s Department of International Cooperation and Exchanges, said linking English education with the inheritance of traditional Chinese culture, opening-up and exchanges with the outside world is of great significance.

“Based on deep understanding of the connotation of foreign language education in the new era, we can expect that English education in China will carry its own characteristics and reach world level,” Li said.