From March 8^th to March 15^th, Prof. YANG Renshu, President of USTB, led a delegation to visit Singapore and Indonesia and to attend the 8^th TAN CHIN TUAN Foundation (TCTF) - Nanyang Technological University (NTU) Advanced Leadership Development Forum, and paid visits to the Nanyang Technological University, the National University of Singapore (NUS), the PT Indonesia Tsingshan Stainless Steel (ITSS) and other cooperative universities and enterprises, promoting cooperation in education and science of USTB and carrying out broader international exchanges.

Prof. YANG Renshu delivered a keynote speech

On March 8^th, Prof. YANG Renshu was invited to attend the 8^th TCTF-NTU Advanced Leadership Development Forum to present a keynote speech on education evolution and global leadership in the digital era. Prof. YANG Renshu first expressed his congratulations on the success of the forum and introduced the development of USTB and its exploration and practice in talent cultivation under the title of "Seize the Opportunity and Momentum-Digitalization—Empowers the Development of Higher Education with High Quality." He said that USTB will continue to promote the research on the digital and intelligent development of higher education, strengthen the cooperation with NTU and other universities, make efforts to promote the construction and development of the world-class university, and contribute to a better future for higher education.

Visit the Nanyang Technological University

Group photo with USTB exchanging teachers and students in Singapore

On March 9^th, the delegation visited NTU for discussion and exchange. Prof. YANG Renshu introduced the development of various undertakings and achievements of USTB and hoped that the two sides would aim at the advantageous disciplines and teams of the two universities to explore the mode of cooperation further, broaden the channels of cooperation, and jointly promote the exchanges and development of the advantageous disciplines. In the afternoon, Prof. YANG Renshu talked with the alumni of USTB in Singapore and asked about the study and life situation of USTB’s students and teachers abroad in colleges and universities of Singapore in detail.

Group photo with representatives from the Chinese Embassy in Singapore

On March 10^th, Prof. YANG Renshu and his delegation visited the Chinese Embassy in Singapore and had a discussion with Mr. HAN Jun, Minister-Counsellor of the Embassy. Prof. YANG Renshu first expressed his gratitude to the Embassy for its strong support for the work of USTB. He said that in the future, USTB would continue to strengthen exchanges and cooperation with universities and enterprises in Singapore and contribute to the promotion of China-Singapore people-to-people exchange and generational friendship.

The signing of the cooperation agreement for student programs with NUS

On March 11^th, Prof. YANG Renshu and his delegation visited NUS for exchanges and signed a cooperation agreement on student programs. Prof. YANG introduced USTB's disciplinary advantages, as well as the international cooperation projects and partners, and shared the situation of cooperation and the latest progress between USTB and a large number of colleges, universities, and enterprises in Singapore. He hoped that the cooperation between the two sides could be carried out smoothly and jointly promote the educational exchanges between the two countries.

Signing ceremony with the ET Group

On March 12^th, the delegation arrived in Jakarta and had a discussion with Mr. XIANG Binghe, the Chairman of Eternal Tsingshan Group Co. Ltd (ET Group), and the representatives of PT Indonesia Tsingshan Stainless Steel. At the meeting, the two sides reached a consensus to jointly build an international first-class innovation highland, deepen the cooperation between industry and research, international talent cultivation, build a highly collaborative model of scientific and technological research together, strengthen the strategic trust mutually to establish a long-term cooperation mechanism of famous enterprises and universities, cultivate high-level technical talents for the countries along “ the Belt and Road,” and help Chinese enterprises to “go overseas.”

Visiting the Chinese Embassy in Indonesia

In the afternoon, the delegation visited the Embassy of Indonesia, where Prof. YANG Renshu introduced the development of USTB to Mr. ZHOU Bin, the Cultural Counsellor of the Chinese Embassy in Indonesia, and pointed out that Indonesia is an important partner in the construction of China's the "Belt and Road" initiative. He said that in the future, USTB would further strengthen exchanges and cooperation with Indonesian universities and enterprises, commit to the construction of "the Belt and Road" initiative, and contribute to the friendship between the two countries.

Visiting the production workshop of Indonesia Industrial Park

On March 14^th, the delegation visited the production workshop in the industrial park where ITSS is located. They experienced the intelligent development of the enterprise, the working environment, and the work content on the spot and gained a deeper understanding of the local production situation.

This visit is the first overseas visit of the USTB delegation in 2024. This year marks the 70^th anniversary of international cooperation and exchange of USTB and is also the "year of internationalization" of USTB in 2024. USTB has always closely combined its own development with national strategies to meet China's major needs, has given full play to the advantages of higher education, and has taken an even more open attitude to participate in international exchanges and cooperation in education. USTB will learn and implement the spirit of President XI Jinping’s Important Reply Letters and enhance the responsibility of forging the "iron and steel backbone" for the Party and the country. USTB will further promote the construction of the three major internationalization projects: “Seed Project,” “Bridge Project,” and “Amity Project,” to continue to open up to the world at a high level, strengthen the emotional connection with overseas partners, adhere to the characteristics, strive for the first-class, and make contributions to the construction of a powerful country with our power.

Draft: DONG Xuanxi

Revision: CHENG Mingyuan