Officially inaugurated on March 1, 2016, the China Diplomatic Academy aims to provide capacity-building training for the Chinese diplomats and other officials involved in foreign affairs. Its establishment is a strategic decision of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the State Council in the context of advancing the country’s major-country diplomacy with Chinese characteristics.The launch of CDA is of great significance to fully implementing the CPC’s policy and guidelines on foreign affairs, upholding the CPC’s central and leading role in China’s diplomacy, and improving the all-round capacity of the Chinese diplomats and other officials working on foreign affairs. It will also help strengthen foreign affairs-related work of all localities and departments.
CDA has actively played a vital role in diplomatic official education and training and has established a multi-tiered, multichannel and multifaceted training system including initial training, in-service training, professional training, and training for foreign diplomats working in China. It offers training for China’s diplomatic and foreign affairs officials, talent reserves for international organizations, and foreign diplomats and staff members. In building its teaching team, CDA gives full play to its talents and upholds the concept “diplomats teaching diplomacy”. The teachers of CDA are mainly in-service senior diplomats, experts and academics from universities and research institutions as well as former senior officials from international organizations. Besides, leaders of China's Foreign Ministry have delivered lectures during many important courses. Chinese ambassadors, counselors, excellent young and backbone officials have all participated in training. CDA has invited notable figures working on the diplomatic front, experts, and academics at home and abroad to give lectures. In addition, CDA has, under bilateral and multilateral frameworks, signed multiple cooperative agreements and memorandums with academies of foreign affairs in China and some other countries.