1 Introduction

The importance of strengthening international communication capacity building, as proposed in the report of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, is emphasized, highlighting the pivotal role of language in cultural exchange. College English education plays a crucial role in cultivating international communication talents and enhancing the nation's international communication capabilities. College English textbooks must respond to national strategic needs and undergo innovation. In 2020, the "Three Introductions" initiative—integrating multilingual versions of Xi Jinping: The Governance of China into universities, textbooks, and classrooms—was launched for foreign language and literature programs nationwide. In 2025, the Understanding Contemporary China: College English Integrated Course was published, aiming to help students improve their comprehensive English application skills while enhancing their ability to tell China's stories well. This study takes the Course as an example to explore the integration mechanism of international communication capacity building and foreign language education, innovate textbook compilation theories, and provide practical references for the development of higher education foreign language textbooks.

2 College English Textbooks and International Communication Capacity Building

It is emphasized that international communication capacity building is a national strategic need, with General Secretary Xi Jinping repeatedly stressing the importance of improving international communication effectiveness and cultivating talents for international engagement. College English textbooks play a key role in enhancing students' international communication capabilities, requiring a redefinition of the value of language education to foster cross-cultural understanding, critical thinking, cultural resilience, discourse competence, and global competence. College English textbooks are not only tools for language skill instruction but also vehicles for disseminating Chinese culture and enhancing cultural soft power, incorporating socialist core values and the outstanding achievements of Chinese civilization through teaching materials. The development of digital technology supports the creation of smart versions of college English textbooks, aiding the cultivation of practical international communication talents. The innovative construction of college English textbooks is of great significance for strengthening China's international communication capacity building.

3 Principles of College English Textbook Compilation from an International Communication Perspective

It is emphasized that, from an international communication perspective, the compilation of college English textbooks should adhere to principles that align with the requirements of the new era and national education goals. The imbalance in traditional textbooks regarding cultural dimensions, content types, and competency structures is noted, which hinders students' ability to effectively convey Chinese ideas and values in international communication. To meet the needs of international communication capacity building, innovative textbook design must balance three core relationships: national identity and international understanding, traditional China and contemporary China, and language proficiency training and communication skill development. Specific measures include: 1. Strengthening cultural confidence by integrating excellent traditional Chinese culture and socialist core values while embracing cultural diversity to achieve unity between national identity and international understanding; 2. Inheriting excellent traditional Chinese culture while incorporating contemporary hot topics that reflect modern China, presenting a true, multidimensional, and comprehensive image of China; 3. Enabling students to grasp the principles of international communication through concrete cases and real-world tasks, cultivating practical skills for international communication, and guiding them to use new media technologies and authentic foreign language expressions to enhance communication effectiveness.

4 Innovations in the Course Compilation Integrating an International Communication Perspective

The innovative approaches in compiling the Course from an international communication perspective are explored, primarily manifested in the combination of explicit mechanisms and implicit integration. At the explicit level, cross-cultural communication skill boxes are designed to teach international communication techniques, while at the implicit level, the logic of international communication is embedded in topic selection, concept explanation, skill instruction, and task design. Topic selection focuses on global and consensus themes related to the cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics, showcasing global issues through Chinese practices and the initiatives of other countries to bridge cultural subjectivity with global discourse. Concept explanation and skill instruction decode the methods of telling China's stories, and task design forms a closed-loop evaluation of effectiveness.

Innovations in the Course's topic selection include advocating for a civilizational outlook centered on equality, mutual learning, dialogue, and inclusiveness, transcending Western international communication theories, and focusing on two modules—understanding China and exploring the world—to help students recognize cultural commonalities and differences. Simultaneously, responding to the needs of national international communication strategies, the textbook incorporates practices and experiences from Global South countries, elevating the stance and vision of international communication to narrate stories of China's interactions with the world.

In terms of concept explanation, case-based explanations enhance ideological and political education, helping students understand original Chinese concepts and achieve a transition from conceptual cognition to value identification. For skill instruction, cross-cultural communication techniques are extracted from the materials, with skill boxes explaining key points and targeted exercises provided to improve students' cross-cultural communication abilities.

In task design, students are encouraged to tell stories in vivid, multidimensional, and engaging ways to foster international understanding and enhance the authenticity and relatability of China's stories. Based on real communication scenarios and tasks, the textbook guides students to comprehensively apply what they have learned to produce outputs, improving their international communication and cross-cultural exchange skills. Output task designs cover various cross-cultural and international communication scenarios, training practical skills, and include a "Competition Showcase" section featuring outstanding works as references for students, facilitating the transformation of teaching outcomes into practical international communication works.

5 Conclusion

The importance and innovative directions of college English textbook compilation from an international communication perspective are emphasized. It is noted that textbooks should not only impart language knowledge but also cultivate students' international perspectives and cross-cultural communication abilities, contributing to national international communication capacity building. The compilation of textbooks should achieve a triple unity of national identity and international understanding, traditional China and contemporary China, and language proficiency and communication skills. The Course has innovated in topic selection, concept explanation, skill instruction, and task design. Future textbook development should integrate into the broader context of national international communication capacity building, update knowledge systems, optimize narrative frameworks, and refine competency training models to cultivate versatile international talents with patriotic sentiments, global visions, and professional expertise, contributing educational strength to the dissemination of China's voice and the shaping of its image.