On 8 November 2019, the Australia-China Online Education Policy Briefing, hosted by Deakin University, Australia, was held at the Australian Embassy, Beijing. The briefing aimed to promote exchange and cooperation between Australian higher education institutions, including Deakin University, and China in the field of online education.

Australia’s Ambassador to the People’s Republic of China, Mr. Graham Fletcher, and Professor Iain Martin, vice-chancellor of Deakin University, delivered welcome speeches. Director of the Engagement Group, Australian Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency and Australia’s policy framework and quality assurance for online delivery programmes, Ms. Karen Treloar, introduced the online education policy framework and quality assurance standards in Australia. Prof Liz Johnson, deputy vice chancellor of Education, and Professor Gary Smith, deputy vice chancellor of Global Engagement, both from Deakin University, shared Deakin University's experiences of providing online education. The meeting was chaired by Brooke Hartigan, minister-counsellor (education and research) of the Australian Embassy in Beijing.

Vice president of the Open University of China (OUC), Yang Xiaotang, was invited to attend the briefing and participate in the round table discussion. Yang Xiaotang briefed participants on the overall situation of online education at the OUC, the history and basic situation of its international cooperation and exchanges, and pointed out that, against the background of the implementation of the Belt and Road Initiative, the possibilities for the active exploration of curriculum resources and cooperation in conferring degrees have never been better.

More than 50 representatives from China and Australia attended the briefing, which was supported by XuetangX, Tsinghua University, CN MOOC/MOOC Institute, Shanghai Jiaotong University, and Shanghai Open University. Representatives of these institutions exchanged views and shared online education policies and experiences in China.

                                                           Written by Hou Songyan, photographed by Shi Yunzhi, OUC