CCTV's "China Education +" was held in Beijing on December 13 with the theme of Innovative Responsibility for the Future. This event brings together industry leaders, scholars, experts, and entrepreneurial elites, to discuss innovation, development, and the responsibilities of education in the modern era.

2018 was the year of "Seeking New Challenges" in China's educational system. The internet, social media, and big data were widely used. Artificial Intelligence has been making inroads in many aspects of education. New models such as programming teaching and STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts and Mathematics) teaching has provided access points for guiding student inquiry, dialogue, and critical thinking. Educational supervision has increased. Innovation, development, and responsibility were the themes that enriched Chinese education. The CCTV Network organized "China Education +" to provide the educational system with a variety of perspectives through keynote speeches and fora, to provide solutions for the reform and development of the educational system in China. It had also given a voice to professionals and had arranged for online as well as offline platforms for the exchange of ideas. Well-known educational institutions were commended for their contributions to education as well as their brands and the social values behind them.

Sias International University was awarded the title of 2018's Most Influential Sino-Foreign Cooperative Institution. The Founder and Chairman of the Board of Sias, Dr. Shawn Chen, was awarded the honorary title of 2018's Most Influential Person in the Education Industry. Sias President, Chen Sikun, was invited to attend China Education + on behalf of Sias and delivered a keynote speech on how to achieve unique development in Sino-Foreign cooperative educational institutions.

Chen Sikun's keynote speech focused on 3 themes:

- Innovation as a permanent theme of Higher Education in the Modern Era

- the Responsibility of Nurturing Innovative Talents for Society

- Public Expectations for the running of Educational Institutions in the Central Plains

He spoke about Sias' development over the past 20 years, with its East-meets-West educational philosophy, and integration of knowledge with practice as its primary educational goal, as well as Dr. Shawn Chen's idea of establishing an internationalized university with distinct features in the Central Plains. He said that Sino-foreign cooperative institutions conformed to the new requirements of educational internationalization and innovation, played a vital role in meeting the needs of the public for diversified, high-quality international education, promoted the innovation of the educational system, bridged the gap between the people's growing demand for high-quality education and the insufficient development of higher education in the region, and continually helped enhance the international influence and competitiveness of education.

Chen Sikun said that Sias will increase its cooperation with other institutions by introducing high-quality educational resources, implementing feedback from across Henan province, and continuing to evolve its unique brand of higher education. On the occasion of Sias' 20th anniversary, he said that Sias promised to broaden its international vision even further, deepen its strategic vision, remain inclusive and open-minded, and build on the confidence from the achievements from the past 20 years. He said that the university would continue to be run according to standardized management methods while identifying and developing strengths in teaching and scientific research for the welfare of the general public. He concluded by saying that Sias was aiming for greater achievements in higher education that would reassure the Party and the people, and satisfy the parents of the students.

Finally, Chen Sikun invited the guests and members of the national media present at the conference to attend the 2nd Joint Annual AUAP-IAUP International Conference that is to be held at Sias from May 23 to 25, 2019.

At the Conference, the Vice President of CCTV, Wen Feng, Executive Vice President of China Education Association, Liu Tangjiang, and former American professional basketball player, Stephon Marbury, delivered speeches on topics such as media responsibility in the modern era, how to become an educator, and Chinese youth basketball training.