Founded in 1951, the University of International Business and Economics (UIBE) is a multi-disciplinary and key national university in China. Its core academic specialties range from economics and management studies, to law and literature. Since its founding, the university has steadfastly lived up to its tenets of "Erudition, Honesty, Endeavor and Perfection," with constant diligence and innovation.

In 1989, UIBE became the first Chinese university to install a board of trustees. Members on the board hailed from the then Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation, state-owned international trading companies, Chinese Customs, the Bank of China, the People's Insurance Company of China, and the Hong Kong Chamber of Commerce. Li Lanqing, the former Vice Premier of China's State Council, chaired the first session of UIBE's board, and Wu Yi, another former Vice Premier, chaired during its second session.

UIBE has played a leading role in the development of international alliances with universities around the world. At present, it has established partnerships with over 120 overseas universities and international organizations.

International presence

UIBE attaches great importance to international cooperation and exchange. It was one of the first Chinese universities to accept international students, with scholars from abroad first appearing on its campus in 1954. Nowadays, it is home to more than 3,000 international students from over 120 countries around the globe.

UIBE's formal partnerships with more than 120 overseas universities and international organizations are about collaboration. The school prepares its students by actively encouraging dialogue between Chinese and international students through myriad cultural exchanges and overseas academic programs. In 2011, over 600 UIBE students participated in overseas exchanges.

UIBE is also home to the International Business Chinese Language Teaching and Resource Development Center of Beijing. Under the leadership of Chinese Language Council International (also known as "Hanban"), it promotes Chinese language education abroad. The center trains instructors, publishes textbooks and e-teaching materials, organizes cross-cultural activities and conferences and workshops both in China and other countries, along with educating students and organizing the HSK (Chinese Proficiency Test) and Business Chinese Test tests.

In addition, UIBE hosts the Beijing Center, a program primarily set up for American students studying in China. It houses the biggest collection in the city of English-language texts about China.

Academic endeavors

UIBE has 15 academic schools, along with a graduate school and a department of physical education. The university offers over 1,440 undergraduate courses, 780 postgraduate courses and 68 doctoral programs.

UIBE's wide range of academic programs leading to bachelor, master and Ph.D degrees are in areas like economics, international trade, finance, business administration, law and linguistics. Programs such as International Trade, International Economic Law and English and International Business Management designated key programs under "Project 211," a project for national key universities and colleges started in 1995 by China's Ministry of Education.

Besides degree programs, UIBE also offers professional certificate programs, executive training programs, distance learning programs, and development programs for both Chinese and foreign government officials, business leaders, and academic scholars.

Research interests

After its founding in 1951, UIBE quickly became China's leader in the research and development of international trade and economics education, acting as a magnet for China's finest trade experts. Today, UIBE has over 80 research institutes and centers, with its China National Institutes of the World Trade Organization crowned by the Ministry of Education as a "Key Research Institution of Humanities and Social Sciences in Universities." It is the only institute of its kind dedicated to the study of the World Trade Organization in China.

UIBE actively works with ministries, major corporations and international organizations. Its cooperation partners include the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, the World Trade Organization, the European Union, the Asian Development Bank and the Boao Forum for Asia.

Yearly, UIBE hosts approximately 30 international symposiums and workshops, publishes hundreds of books, textbooks, multimedia materials, theses and journals. Between 2006 and 2011, UIBE faculty published 1,110 books and 5,210 papers. The school's awards during this period include 37 national- and ministry-level prizes and 20 million dollars in research funding.