The Ambassador for the United States of America to China, Max Baucus, visited Sias International University on Tuesday, September 20. He was accompanied by diplomats and officials from the U.S. Embassy in Beijing, and the U.S. Consulate in Wuhan. Also present were high-ranking officials from the provincial government of Henan.

The delegation included U.S. Ambassador to China, Max Baucus; Deputy Counsellor at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing, Rick Waters; Language Attaché at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing, James Brown; Chief Assistant at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing, Zach Barter; the U.S. Consul General in Wuhan, Joseph Zadrozny; Political and Economic Consul at the U.S. Consulate in Wuhan, Jonathan Adams; Public Affairs Officer at the U.S. Consulate in Wuhan, Jamie Dragon; Management Officer at the U.S. Consulate in Wuhan, Kevin Fisher; Principal Commercial Officer at the U.S. Consulate in Wuhan, Wellington Chu; Political & Economic Assistant at the U.S. Consulate in Wuhan, Zhou Ling; Commercial Specialist at the U.S. Consulate in Wuhan, Wang Jing; Commercial Service Assistant at the U.S. Consulate in Wuhan, Catherine Le; Media Assistant at the U.S. Consulate in Wuhan, Peng Jing; Cultural Services Assistant at the U.S. Consulate in Wuhan, Yue Jun; and the General Manager of the U.S. Consulate in Wuhan, Chen Jiayu. The high-ranking Chinese officials were the Deputy Director of Henan Province's Foreign Affairs Office, Yang Weibin; the News Director of Henan Province's Overseas Chinese Affairs Office, Ai Fan; and the Director of Henan Province's Office of Chinese Language, Xu Hengzhen.

Accompanied by Dr. Shawn Chen, the Chairman of the Board of Sias, and the delegation, Ambassador Baucus went on a campus tour through European Street, where he had a close look at the student entrepreneurship on campus, and the Chinese Garden. This was followed by a special performance for the occasion by the Sias Band in front of the Administration building where the Ambassador was greeted by some of Sias' foreign faculty. Ambassador Baucus then delivered a lecture in the main lecture hall of the Administration building, followed by a Q&A session with students.

During his speech, Ambassador Baucus commended Dr. Shawn Chen for his vision and extensive work to help young people get a good education. The Ambassador went on to speak about the necessity of education, the choices and opportunities that it brings, and the value of hard work. He said that he was very impressed by Sias' campus and the different themes that were integrated into the architecture across the campus. He encouraged students to think for themselves, travel as much as possible, interact with people, and, most importantly, not be afraid to make mistakes. In closing, the Ambassador shared experiences from his youth when he hitchhiked across Europe, Africa, and Asia. He said that this helped him learn that people across the world were essentially the same and that there was always a solution to any problem. After a brief Q&A session, the Ambassador and Dr. Shawn Chen proceed to lunch, following which he gave an interview to Sias News.

The visit of U.S. Ambassador Max Baucus is one of the most high-profile visits to Sias International University in its 18-year history. It thrusts Sias into the limelight in Central China and raises Sias' profile with regard to cross-cultural relations and international innovative education in China.