The book release for Introduction to Study of International Regions was held online on March 6, alongside a seminar on international and regional studies talent training. Scholars discussed the disciplinary orientation, research objectives, and talent cultivation for international and regional studies.

Introduction to Study of International Regions is the first book in a series on international and regional studies. Zhang Yunling, chief editor of the book and a CASS Member, said that the process from decentralized research and teaching, to disciplinary construction and systematic teaching, demonstrates an important development and also a new developmental stage in China’s international and regional research field.

According to Qian Chengdan, a professor from the Institute of Area Studies at Peking University, international and regional studies aim to conduct comprehensive research on all regions and countries in the world, providing academic support for policymaking and people-to-people exchanges. Talent in international and regional studies should have broad regional knowledge as well as proficient specialized knowledge and language competence. This makes it necessary to break through the traditional disciplinary system framework and build international and regional studies into an interdiscipline.

Luo Lin, a professor from Beijing Language and Culture University, said that interdisciplinary integration has begun to drive the development of international and regional studies. Intensifying interdisciplinary coordinated development has become a broad consensus in academic circles. International and regional studies should meet the country' s realistic demand for external exchanges and answer practical questions.