The Institute of Country and Region Studies at Peking University stands as one of the four key interdisciplinary platforms under Peking University’s “Double First-Class” initiative. It is committed to advancing academic research and nurturing professional talent in the field of country and region studies. Its founding director was Professor Qian Chengdan, a Boya Chair Professor at Peking University. It was subsequently headed by Professor Tang Shiqi, Dean of Peking University’s School of International Studies. The Institute is currently led by Professor Jiang Guohua, Deputy Secretary of the CPC Peking University Committee and Professor at the Guanghua School of Management. Professor Zhai Kun from the School of International Studies serves as deputy director, overseeing the Institute’s daily operations.

The Institute was founded in April 2018. Guided by its core mission of serving major national strategies, it systematically advances its work through organized research, organized think-tank activities, organized project applications, organized talent development, and organized knowledge dissemination. The Institute comprises six research divisions: the Asia-Pacific Research Division, the Asia-Africa Research Division, the Latin American and Caribbean Research Division, the Russia, Eastern Europe and Central Asia Research Division, the Research Division on Country and Region Studies Theory and Methodology, and the Research Division on Global Governance and International Communication. It coordinates more than 60 country and region research centers across the university to conduct relevant research, fostering a new interdisciplinary, comprehensive, multi-level, dynamic and collaborative academic framework that integrates humanities, social sciences, science, engineering, medicine, agriculture and other disciplines.

Currently, the work of the Institute of Country and Region Studies is closely aligned with the 15th Five-Year Plan. Taking relevance and practicality as core criteria for assessing the effectiveness of country and region studies, the Institute strongly supports field-based research rooted in target countries and regions, adheres to the principle of deploying personnel in line with strategic needs, and further strengthens organized research efforts. It continues to foster a pragmatic and application-oriented academic atmosphere, strives to build an independent knowledge system for country and region studies that features Chinese characteristics, a global vision, and distinct PKU strengths, and endeavors to establish a world-class platform for country and region studies research and talent development.