To deepen exchanges and cooperation between China and Saudi Arabia in the field of higher education and promote mutual benefit and win-win cooperation in education, technology, and talent development, the China-Saudi Arabia Higher Education Cooperation and Exchange Event was held at the China Center for Language Education and Cooperation (CLEC) of the Ministry of Education on April 21^st, co-hosted by the Saudi Ministry of Education and CLEC, and undertaken by the Cultural Office of the Saudi Embassy in China. Prof. LYU Zhaoping, Vice President of USTB, was invited to attend the event.

Site of the event

The event was presided over by Mr. HU Zhiping, Deputy Director of CLEC. Mr. YU Yunfeng, Director of CLEC; Mr. Yousef Al-Benyan, Minister of Education of Saudi Arabia; and Mr. ZHAO Lei, Deputy Director of the Department of International Cooperation and Exchanges of the Chinese Ministry of Education, delivered speeches. All expressed high attention to and good expectations for China-Saudi Arabia higher education cooperation, hoping that this exchange event would further enhance mutual understanding among the education sectors of the two countries, expand cooperation areas, and improve the level of cooperation.

The event gathered many important representatives from both China and Saudi Arabia. The Saudi representative included key figures in the education field such as Mr. Yousef Al-Benyan, Minister of Education of Saudi Arabia and embassy representative such as H.E. Mr. Abdulrahman Al-Harbi, Ambassador of Saudi Arabia to China. The Chinese representative included Mr. ZHAO Lei, Deputy Director of the Department of International Cooperation and Exchanges of the Chinese Ministry of Education; Mr. YU Yunfeng and Mr. HU Zhiping, Director and Deputy Director of CLEC; and leaders from 9 Chinese universities including Peking University, Fudan University, Zhejiang University, and University of Science and Technology Beijing, who shared their experiences and achievements in educational cooperation with Saudi Arabia.

Prof. LYU Zhaoping delivered a speech

Prof. LYU Zhaoping introduced USTB's history, international development, and cooperation with Saudi Arabia. He noted that since enrolling the first Saudi student in 2004, USTB has cultivated more than 140 Saudi students. These students not only serve Saudi Arabia's development with their acquired knowledge but also act as bridges for friendly exchanges between China and Saudi Arabia. In 2022, two Saudi students studying Chinese at USTB wrote a letter to President Xi Jinping, who replied to encourage them to contribute to enhancing the friendship between the Chinese and Saudi people, and between China and the Arab world. Prof. LYU Zhaoping stated that in the future, USTB will thoroughly implement the spirit of President Xi Jinping's important reply letters, advance the "Seed Project," "Bridge Project," and "Amity Project," and deepen cooperation with Saudi Arabia.

Group photo

After the exchange event, the representatives of China and Saudi Arabia signed the Cooperation Agreement on Chinese Teaching Resources for Saudi Secondary Schools. This initiative will provide richer and higher-quality resources for Chinese teaching in Saudi secondary schools and help promote the popularization of Chinese language in Saudi Arabia.

The successful holding of the China-Saudi Arabia Higher Education Cooperation and Exchange Event has built a new platform and opened a new chapter for educational cooperation between the two countries. Taking this as an opportunity, with the support of both sides, USTB will also help bring new achievements in China-Saudi Arabia higher education cooperation and contribute more wisdom and strength from USTB to promoting people-to-people exchange between the two countries and building a community with a shared future for mankind.

Draft: GONG Ziyan

Revision: CHENG Mingyuan