Contributed by the International Exchange & Cooperation Department Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan Affairs Office
During November 6-15, a delegation headed by BUCT Vice President Wang Feng paid visits to the University of Miskolc in Hungary, the University College Dublin and the Technological University Dublin in Ireland, as well as the University of Cambridge, the University of Oxford and the University College London in the UK, having in-depth exchanges with the faculties of the said universities on how to promote the construction of the Confucius Institute and the bilateral cooperation including student and teacher exchanges and collaboration on scientific research.
During November 6-8, the delegation successively visited the University of Miskolc, the Confucius Institute at the University of Miskolc, and Wanhua BorsodChem, a teaching site of the Confucius Institute, in Hungary. Moreover, the delegation joined the celebration for the 10th anniversary of the Confucius Institute at the University of Miskolc, and visited China’s embassy in Hungary.
The University of Miskolc was the first stop of the visit, where the delegation engaged in talks with Professor Zita Horváth, Rector of the University of Miskolc, Kuttor Dániel, Foreign Dean of the Confucius Institute at the University of Miskolc, and some other representatives of the university. Both sides discussed how to facilitate the development of the Confucius Institute, joint student training, teacher exchange and collaboration on scientific research, and held the last round of consultation on the agreement concerning the joint building of the Confucius Institute. On behalf of BUCT, Wang Feng invited the University of Miskolc to send a delegation to the “Belt & Road” International Forum on Academic and Industrial Cooperation to be held by BUCT and the 1st World Chinese Language Conference to be hosted by China’s Ministry of Education in December 2023. Then, the delegation looked around the campus of the university, learned about its history, and visited its key laboratories.
The delegation visits the University of Miskolc
On the afternoon of November 6, the delegation paid a visit to Wanhua BorsodChem, which has offered strong support for the Confucius Institute at the University of Miskolc as its co-builder. Both sides exchanged views on the co-building of the Confucius Institute, joint talent cultivation and scientific research. After the talk, the delegation also saw the company’s plant and production lines.
On the evening of November 6, the celebration ceremony and concert for the 10th anniversary of the Confucius Institute at the University of Miskolc was grandly held, where Wang Feng delivered a speech and presented a gift to the Confucius Institute. Wang fully affirmed the Confucius Institute’s achievements over the last decade and its positive contribution to the friendship between China and Hungary, and thanked the people from all circles of the society who have offered great support for the building of the Confucius Institute. Last, he said BUCT will work with the University of Miskolc and Wanhua BorsodChem, keep its original aspiration in mind, and support the Confucius Institute’s development with distinctive characteristics as always.
The delegation attends the celebration for the 10th anniversary of the Confucius Institute at the University of Miskolc
On November 7, the delegation paid a visit to Serini High School, a teaching site of the Confucius Institute at the University of Miskolc, and talked with the students who studied Chinese as the second language. Wang Feng encouraged the students to learn Chinese well, and welcomed them to BUCT for further study. Then, the delegation visited the Confucius Institute at the University of Miskolc, holding talks with its Chinese and foreign faculties. On behalf of BUCT, Wang Feng showed care and thanks to the Chinese and foreign faculties, and offered suggestions and guidance on the future development of the Confucius Institute.
The delegation visits Serini High School
On November 8, the delegation paid a visit to China’s embassy to Hungary, engaging in a talk with Education Counselor Chen Kun. Wang Feng reported to Chen Kun the purpose and gains of the visit, and requested the embassy to offer policy guidance and support for the cooperation between BUCT and the University of Miskolc. Chen thanked BUCT for the visit and spoke highly of the move, noting the Confucius Institute is a window and bridge connecting Chinese and foreign languages and cultures, and the Confucius Institute at the University of Miskolc has made significant contribution to the friendship between China and Hungary since its 10th anniversary.He also expressed hope that BUCT will leverage the visit and give further play to the advantage of jointly building the Confucius Institute between universities and enterprises, to boost inter-university and university-enterprise collaboration and exchanges. Last, Chen added that the embassy will strongly support the building of the Confucius Institute at the University of Miskolc and the all-round cooperation between BUCT and the University of Miskolc.
BUCT Vice President Wang Feng talks with Education Counselor Chen Kun
During November 9-11, the delegation paid successive visits to the University College Dublin and the Technological University Dublin in Ireland, as well as China’s embassy in Ireland.
On November 9, the delegation first visited the University College Dublin, where they talked with representatives of the university including Paul Fanning, UCD International Dean for China. Both sides fully affirmed the achievements the two universities have made in joint student training over the last 12 years, and believed the two universities will engage in deeper collaboration on student and teacher exchange, joint establishment of laboratories, scientific research, and people-to-people exchanges in the future.After the talk, the delegation was shown around the key laboratories of the university.
The delegation visits the University College Dublin
On November 10, the delegation paid a visit to the Technological University Dublin, talking with the university’s Vice President Dr. Mary Manney and other representatives. Both sides said a sound mechanism for cooperation has been established on teaching, scientific research and talent cultivation thanks to the dedication by the two universities to building an all-round international exchange and cooperation system in diverse areas and at multiple levels since the two sides started collaboration in 2014. 2024 will mark the 10th anniversary of the bilateral cooperation, in which both sides hope to strengthen practical cooperation on talent cultivation and scientific research in competitive disciplines based on existing joint training programs and international courses, so as to train more excellent talents for the two countries. After that, both sides held discussions on student exchange and joint cultivation, application for Sino-foreign cooperative educational programs, and collaboration on scientific research. Finally, the delegation visited the laboratory of the Department of Computer Science, where they were shown the ongoing experimental design by the students.
The delegation visits the Technological University Dublin
The delegation also paid a visit to China’s embassy in Ireland, having a talk with Charge d'Affaires ad interim Wang Jiabao. Wang Feng reported to Wang Jiabao the purpose of their visits to the University College Dublin and the Technological University Dublin. Wang Jiabao showed thanks and sang high praise for the visit, hoping BUCT will fully leverage the advantages of the universities in Dublin, and carry out cooperation and exchanges with them based on BUCT’s competitive disciplines. He also promised the embassy will do whatever it can to facilitate and support the said cooperation.
BUCT Vice President Wang Feng talks with Charge d'Affaires ad interim Wang Jiabao
During November 12-14, the delegation went to the University of Cambridge, the University of Oxford and the University College London in the UK for visits.
They first visited the University of Cambridge, holding in-depth exchanges with Professor Adrian Fisher, Director of the Research Center for Electrochemical Science, Engineering and Technology, among others. Wang Feng extended sincere thanks to Professor Adrian Fisher for his efforts devoted to BUCT-Cambridge Summer School program over the last 13 years, which has helped BUCT students broaden their horizon and unlock their learning potential, becoming a major part of BUCT’s international student training initiative. Wang expressed hope that a joint laboratory can be established between BUCT and the Research Center for Electrochemical Science, Engineering and Technology of the University of Cambridge as a platform for bilateral cooperation on scientific research. Then, both sides exchanged views on the joint student cultivation program based on the dual tutorial system, teacher exchanges and visits, scientific research, and the mechanism and model for the establishment of a joint laboratory. During the visit, the delegation also went to the Cambridge Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center for a study.
The delegation visits the University of Cambridge
After that, the delegation visited Regent's Park College, Oxford, and Oxford Prospects and Global Development Institute (OPGDI), which has long been responsible for the academic and cultural exchange programs between Chinese universities and Regent's Park College, Oxford.Director Wang Shidong and other relevant faculty members of OPGDI warmly received the delegation, and introduced Regent's Park College, OPGDI and Mo Yan Literature Research Center.They signed a memorandum on exchanges and cooperation, hoping the Oxford Prospects Programmes will enable more excellent students from BUCT to pursue further study at the University of Oxford, one of the world’s top universities, and promote BUCT’s building as a high-level university. Then they discussed the possibility of cooperation on teacher training and joint engagement in academic projects and international conferences.
The delegation visits the University of Oxford
On November 14, the delegation visited the University College London, talking respectively with Professor Gareth Williams, Director of the Department of Pharmacology, Dr. Li Dongjin, Deputy Director of the Institute for Materials Discovery, and Professor Furio Cora, Director of the Department of Inorganic and Materials Chemistry. During the talk, both sides reached a preliminary intention of cooperation on the academic exchanges between teachers, joint student training, student exchange, and joint establishment of laboratories.
The delegation visits the University College London
During the visits to Ireland and the UK, the delegation respectively met with BUCT’s alumni who were either studying or working in Ireland or the UK, learning about their life there. Wang Feng extended greetings to them on behalf of BUCT, and expressed hope that the alumni and the universities or enterprises where they study or work will join hands with BUCT to tap more room for the cooperation on talent cultivation and the collaboration between research and industry by building diverse platforms, and that the alumni will continue to care about and support BUCT’s development and visit their alma mater often.
The delegation’s visits to the three European countries are a major part of BUCT’s move to advance the opening-up of education and the “Belt & Road” education and technology initiative in 2023, as well as a concrete practice of BUCT in serving China’s diplomacy through further opening-up. The visits deepened BUCT’s exchanges and cooperation with relevant universities in Hungary, Ireland and the UK, and achieved substantial progress in student exchange, joint student cultivation, collaboration on scientific research and joint establishment of international laboratories, laying a foundation for BUCT to boost the quality of innovative talents cultivation, promote specialty and discipline building and expand global influence.
Accompanying the visits were Liu Guangqing, Executive Dean of the Institute of “Belt & Road” Global Cooperation of BUCT, Zhu Baoning, Deputy General Manager of Beijing Beihuada Investment Co., Ltd., and Zhang Wan, Director of the International Exchange Office of the International Exchange & Cooperation Department.