On 19th October 2017, at the closing ceremony of the 2017 ICDE, general secretary of the ICDE Gard Titlestad presented the ICDE Institutional Prize of Excellence award to OUC president Yang Zhijian.
From 15-28th October 2017, a delegation of 14 full-time teachers from the Open University of China (OUC) led by deputy secretary of the OUC Party Committee, Liu Xianghong, visited the University of Toronto (UT) and Athabasca University (AU) in order to develop cooperation in scientific research and academic exchanges.
A five-person delegation headed by Li Ling, vice president of the Open University of China (OUC), visited Herzen State Pedagogical University of Russia (Herzen University), Lomonosov Moscow State University, and European Distance and E-Learning Network to explore the potential for cooperation, resulting in a signed cooperative agreement with Lomonosov Moscow State University.
The 27th World Conference of the International Council for Open and Distance Education (ICDE) was held in Toronto, Canada from 16th to 19th October, 2017.
From 7-8th September 2017, the 7th OUJ-OUC-KNOU International Seminar was held at the Open University of Japan (OUJ).
On June 3, 2016, a delegation of 4 people headed by director general of UDIMA Arturo de las Heras Garcia paid a visit to the Open University of China (OUC).
On May 6, 2016, a delegation of four people headed by Associate Vice President and Professor Ip Yiu-keung from the Open University of Hong Kong visited the Open University of China (OUC). OUC President Yang Zhijian, Vice President Zhang Shaogang, and heads from relevant departments met with them and discussed cooperation issues. Both sides had an in-depth and pragmatic discussion on how to promote further cooperation and exchanges between them.
On the afternoon of February 26, 2016, in the company of Chairman of Russia-China Cultural Education Development Foundation Cui Shan and the delegation, Vice President of Lomonosov Moscow State University Yuri Mazei visited the Open University of China (OUC).