Recently, U.S. News & World Report issued its 2018 global university and subject rankings, which showed that several Chinese universities have made great headway. In particular, Tsinghua University ranks first globally for computer science and technology.

Universities in developed countries, especially in English-speaking countries, dominate the top positions in terms of both university and subject rankings, while universities in developing countries tend to be sidelined. So, it's really not easy for Chinese universities to move upward on the ranking list so fast.

Developing a university's research capabilities, either in elementary or advanced areas, transforming scientific achievements into tangible results, and improving a university's teaching level; all of these require longtime inputs and efforts from the school, the government and the whole society.

Tsinghua University, with a history over a century, is prestigious in China. Today, the university maintains its "core competitiveness" among strong competitors. It is making strides on all fronts, not just in computer science, particularly in terms of scientific and technological innovation and the transformation of research achievements into productivity. In this sense, no matter what status it possesses in the rankings, its real progress can never be neglected.

The progress achieved by Chinese universities is encouraging. But, we must admit that Chinese universities still lag behind the prestigious ones in developed countries in many ways. The rankings are not everything. Chinese educators simply cannot be complacent about the rise in rankings. They will continue their efforts to build world-class universities.

(This is an edited excerpt of an article published in Qianjiang Evening News on November 17)