China Foreign Affairs University (CFAU), the only institution of higher education under the guidance of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, P.R. China, aims to train professional personnel in foreign service, international studies as well as numbers of other special fields related to international business and law. As suggested by Premier Zhou Enlai, the university was founded in 1955. Accredited by the Academic Degree Committee of China’s State Council, CFAU offers Doctoral, Master, and Bachelor degrees. CFAU is well known for its courses such as that of Diplomacy, International Relations, and International Law.

CFAU is regarded as the "Cradle of Chinese Diplomats". A considerable number of international students from Eastern European countries received training at CFAU during the 50s; many of them have now held senior diplomatic posts in their home countries, or have become experts in international studies. It is during the 1980s CFAU resumed its enrollment of international students. In 2011, there were over 180 international students from more than 40 countries studying at CFAU.

Being entrusted by both the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Commerce, CFAU has been organizing training programs for diplomats and media professionals from foreign countries for years. The training programs range from Chinese language, International Relations, Diplomacy to National Conditions of China and the Media, etc. From 1994 to the end of 2012, over 2500 participants from 150 different countries have studied in these programs. In 2008 under the authorization of the State Council, CFAU had become one of the first five national foreign aid training centers in China.