Sias International University was awarded the 2016 Most Influential Brand of Sino-Foreign Cooperative Institutions in China and the 2016 Model University for Employment at Xinhua News' 7th Education Forum in Beijing. The forum focused on the nature of education, the attention being given to education and the achievements of reform and development in education in the past year. Sias President, Dr. Chen Sikun, represented the university at the ceremony.

The chief guests at the forum were the Deputy Director of Xinhua News Agency, Liu Siyang; Deputy Party Secretary of the Chinese Association for Science & Technology, Xu Yanhao; Former Chairman of the China Democratic League, Zhang Ping; and the Honorary President of the China Education Association, Gu Mingyuan. Leaders and representatives of many domestic and well-known institutions were also present. Over 500 guests were at the forum to discuss the core issues related to Chinese education, the prospects for its future development, and ideas with regard to modern and progressive education.

In a change from last year's Education Forum, this year's forum consisted of two parts – separate sessions in the morning and the afternoon. The events drew on extensive coverage of the education industry and its wider social influence, making it one of the top-level gatherings for education in China.

Through online voting, inputs from the media and experts in the field of education, and factoring in the employment rates of graduates and its social reputation, Sias was awarded the 2016 Most Influential Brand of Sino-Foreign Cooperative Institutions in China and the 2016 Model University for Employment.

Sias President, Dr. Chen Sikun, was invited to an open forum where he delivered a speech and gave an interview to Xinhua News. Both he and Yao Yujiang, the General Manager of the Xinhua Education Center and the Online Education Branch, spoke of cooperation between universities and the media to aid development and deepen the exchanges between the two fields.