Scholars gather at XJTU to discuss teaching English as a foreign language.

The 24th AsiaTEFL International Conference and the 11th International Conference on ELT in China were held from May 29 to 31 at Xi'an Jiaotong University (XJTU), attracting more than 1,100 experts, scholars, teachers, industry policymakers, and young students from around the globe.

The conferences featured keynote speeches, symposia, specialized forums, editors' forums, practical workshops, parallel sessions, and poster presentations from scholars involved in foreign language education, intelligent teaching applications, intercultural language studies, and curriculum and textbook development.

Participants engaged in discussions surrounding core issues such as language policy, planning, and sociolinguistics; teaching methodologies and curriculum design; language learning and development; inclusivity and well-being in education; teacher education and professional development; and technological and digital innovation in language education.

The events aimed to build academic consensus and chart new directions for the development of English language education in the modern era.

In her opening speech, Wang Huan, deputy secretary of the CPC XJTU Committee, expressed hope that foreign language educators would take advantage of technological innovation to drive a transformation in teaching paradigms, strengthen the intrinsic link between language pedagogy and contemporary societal shifts, and boost cultural exchange and mutual learning across Asia and the world.