HUST and the University of Canterbury held an online renewal ceremony of the Memorandum of Understanding on November 3rd. You Zheng, President of HUST, Chen Jianguo, Vice President of HUST, Cheryl de la Rey, President of the University of Canterbury, He Ying, Consulate General of PRC in Christchurch and Michael Zhang, Regional Director Greater China for Education New Zealand attended the ceremony.
You Zheng addressed the meeting and said that this year marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and New Zealand, and the renewal of the MoU could not be more timely. “Both universities have been establishing stronger cultural and academic ties since the beginning of the cooperation in the Confucius Institute. I hope we can build more trust, broader consensus and deeper collaboration.” added You.
Cheryl de la Rey, President of the University of Canterbury stated in her speech that the generous acceptance of Chinese students by HUST in UC at the height of the epidemic had resulted in a new mode of international cooperation. She hoped that the two universities could join hands to open a new chapter in their cooperation.
He Ying, Consul General of PRC in Christchurch extended warm congratulations to the two universities. She also expressed her hope that the two universities would forge closer relations to promote educational cooperation and people-to-people exchange between China and New Zealand. Michael Zhang also recognized the fruitful results of the cooperation of both sides.
Following the speeches, You Zheng and Cheryl de la Rey officially signed the Memorandum of Understanding between Huazhong University of Science and Technology and the University of Canterbury.
In the strategic dialogue session, representatives from both institutions put forward new proposals for future cooperation. Chen Jianguo introduced basic visions of HUST Global Strategy 2030 and hoped that the two institutions could have a bigger impact on global innovation and human well-being. Will Shannon, head of the International Department in Business School of the University of Canterbury spoke on behalf of Brett Berquist, Assistant Vice-Chancellor Engagement of UC, extending hopes for setting up new platforms in more fields, especially in student exchange.
After the ceremony, over 20 scholars from the areas of management, foreign languages and education held online breakout meetings. A primary consensus has been reached on Double Master's program, students’ exchange and academic seminars.
Written by: Qin Wei
Edited by: Ye Jingyi, Peng Yumeng
Chinese
