On the morning of June 9, Shanghai MICEE Institute under the School of Journalism and Communications at Shanghai University held doctoral dissertation defenses at the Shang Shan Hall in the Lehu Building at the Baoshan campus. To ensure the authority of the dissertation defenses, the Institute specially invited five experts and scholars to form the defense committee, including Professor Li Liangrong from Fudan University, Professor Liao Shengqing from Fudan University, Professor Yao Junxi from Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Professor Yan Sanjiu from Shanghai University, and Professor Zheng Han from Shanghai University. The defenses were held in three sessions, reviewing the doctoral dissertations of Di Dan, Nie Xinyan and Li Xiang respectively. The basic procedures were introduction of academic foundations, dissertation statements, committee member questioning, doctoral student answering, defense committee review, closed-door discussion and voting, and result announcement. The defenses were presided over by the defense committee chairman, Professor Li Liangrong. The doctoral supervisor and Executive Dean of Shanghai MICEE Institute, Professor Zhang Min, briefly introduced the academic foundations of the three students respectively.

The defender for the first session was doctoral student Di Dan, with the dissertation titled "A Study on APEC Conference Communication Mechanisms from the Perspective of China-US New Type of Major Country Relations". With China-US new type of major country relations as the core perspective, the dissertation makes an in-depth analysis of APEC conference communication mechanisms, and proposes the characteristics and paths for APEC conferences to help advance China-US new type of major country relations. The experts believed that the dissertation had an innovative topic, clear overall research framework, demonstrated interdisciplinary characteristics, and was of great significance in expanding communication studies. Suggestions were made to further enrich the research perspectives for subsequent studies.

The defender for the second session was doctoral student Nie Xinyan, with the dissertation titled "A Study on China-ASEAN Expo Communication Mechanisms". Viewing expos as a communication medium, the dissertation starts from their communication functions and proposes innovative thinking on building a China-ASEAN community of shared future based on mutual trust. The experts unanimously spoke highly of the dissertation, believing that it had a challenging topic, solid and abundant contents, and practical significance in reconstructing expo functions from an organizational communication perspective, making further expansions to communication studies. Suggestions were made to delve deeper into cultural values for subsequent research.

The defender for the third session was doctoral student Li Xiang, with the dissertation titled "Communication, Exchange and Control: A Study on China-Arab States Expo Cooperation Mechanisms". Based on a large amount of first-hand research data, and starting from practical issues in China-Arab relations, the dissertation proposes innovative paths for the institutional mechanism construction of the China-Arab States Expo. The experts believed that field research and combining theory with practice were distinctive strengths of this dissertation. With the ontology of exhibitions as the framework, it highlighted exhibition characteristics and professional pursuits. The perspectives and insights were well-founded, and suggestions were made to strengthen research on quantitative effects for subsequent work.

The defense committee strictly upheld the procedures and standards, fully affirming the value of topic choices, angles, academic norms and academic attitudes of the three doctoral dissertations, while putting forward many improvement suggestions, covering details like page numbering and overall directions for subsequent research, scrutinizing every word and sentence. The experts' insightful views and wonderful critiques provided valuable learning opportunities for the postgraduate students present.

After serious discussion and anonymous voting by the defense committee, the doctoral dissertations of Di Dan, Nie Xinyan and Li Xiang passed the oral defense successfully, and were recommended for doctoral degree conferment. Under the attentive cultivation and careful guidance of their supervisor, Professor Zhang Min, the three doctoral students worked diligently, focused on learning, upheld academic rigor and spared no effort during their studies. Their doctoral dissertations raised international conference and expo research to the academic level, enriched exhibition studies, expanded the field of communication studies, served national interests and academic development, and received well-deserved academic affirmation. "Swords are sharpened through grinding, plum blossoms exude fragrance after enduring the cold." Teachers and students present and absent all sincerely rejoiced in and took pride in their academic achievements.