On the morning of October 22nd, Xiamen University (XMU) and the Cardiff University, the United Kingdom, renewed the implementation agreement of co-building the Confucius Institute in Room 215 of Songen Building. Zhang Rong, President of XMU, and Colin Riordan, President of Cardiff University, signed the contract on behalf of the two universities. The two schools also reviewed and summarized the achievements of their cooperation and exchanges, and discussed their future development direction and specific measures. Yang Bin, Vice President of XMU, and Nora de Leeuw, Vice President of Cardiff University, attended the event as well.
Zhang Rong said that open university is the tradition of Xiamen University and also the core strategy and key work of the school's future development. Cardiff University is an important strategic partner of XMU. He expressed his graduate for Cardiff University’s long-term support for the cooperation and exchange between the two universities. Later, he made several suggestions for the future cooperation between the two universities: First, to expand and strengthen the cooperation projects between the two universities in the field of medical related disciplines, and make them become the branding projects of the two universities and even of Sino-UK higher education exchanges; Second, to strengthen the cooperation between college students in innovation and entrepreneurship education, jointly cultivate talents for innovation and entrepreneurship, and improve the quality of higher education personnel training so as to serve the economic and social development of the two countries; Third, to promote mutual trust and mutual benefit in the bilateral and multilateral areas and further expand the influence of cooperation under the framework of the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road university alliance; Fourth, to give full play to the role of the Confucius Institute as a cooperation platform, raise resources, use joint research funds, jointly explore new ways of cooperation, and work together to bring bilateral relations to a new high.
Colin Riordan reviewed the exchanges between the two universities in various disciplines and their cooperation on major projects such as the Confucius Institute construction and the Joint Research Fund. He said that establishing a good partnership with Xiamen University is an important task of Cardiff University. The school will take the initiative and active role in deepening the cooperation and exchange relationship between the two universities, and constantly inject new vitality into the cooperation so that could make the cooperation achievements benefit more teachers and students.
Cardiff University received the Royal Permit in 1883. It is the only institution of higher learning in the Russell group in Wales and is also the top 150 universities in the world. Xiamen University has established a close and pragmatic cooperation with Cardiff University. Since 2006, the two universities have signed an inter-school cooperation agreement, a “1+1.5” double master of the joint training project for urban planning, a Confucius Institute cooperation agreement, a chemical cooperation agreement, a stomatological disciplines cooperation memorandum, a teacher and student exchange agreement, a strategic partnership cooperation agreement, and a double doctoral training agreement etc., and have achieved positive progress in above areas.
In addition, the principals of relevant departments and colleges of the two universities also participated in the activity.
Source: http://ocia.xmu.edu.cn/en/news/jidiyaowen/2018-10-30/139.html
