n Dec. 8, the 2018 Annual National Conference for Development of Public Relations, hosted by China Public Relations Association (was held in Beijing. The theme of the conference was "New Era and New Accomplishment: The Global Practice of China Public Relations." Liu Binjie, director of the Committee of Education, Science, Culture and Health of National People's Congress and president of China Public Relations Association, Guo Weimin, deputy director of the State Council Information Office of China, Vinck Marc，Belgian ambassador to China, and Pakistan's ambassador to China Masood Khalid  delivered speeches at the meeting. More than 200 representatives attended the meeting, including leaders of the public relations associations of the 31 provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions and representatives from national ministries, universities, think tanks, public relations companies and media.

At the meeting, Professor Wu Youfu from Shanghai International Studies University (SISU) was awarded one of the 40 influential public relations figures in 40 years of reform and opening up. Professor Wu has been devoted to teaching public relations for 30 years. His translation Public Relations and Practice won "Excellent Publication Awards" in China in the 1980s. He was the first doctoral supervisors in public relations, and founded National Public Relations Academic Dean (Department Head) Joint Conference Committee and led the public relations program to be included in the General Higher Education Undergraduate Major Catalogue. He also founded Public Relations Studies, the only magazine of journal articles in public relations in mainland China. SISU has become the only university in China with bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degree programs in public relations, and takes a leading role in developing the public relations major.