To deepen exchanges and cooperation between China and Saudi Arabia in higher education and promote mutual benefit and win-win results in education, science and technology, and talent, the China-Saudi Arabia Higher Education Cooperation and Exchange Event was held on April 21 at the Master Lecture Hall of the Center for Language Education and Cooperation (CLEC), Ministry of Education of China. The event was co-hosted by the Saudi Ministry of Education and the CLEC, and organized by the Cultural Office of the Saudi Embassy in China. Vice President Lü Zhaoping attended the event.

At the event

The event was moderated by Hu Zhiping, Deputy Director-General of the Center for Language Education and Cooperation (CLEC), Ministry of Education of China. Yu Yunfeng, Director-General of the CLEC; Yousef Al-Benyan, Saudi Minister of Education; and Zhao Lei, Deputy Director-General of the Department of International Cooperation and Exchanges of the Ministry of Education of China, delivered speeches successively. They all expressed their great emphasis on and high expectations for China-Saudi Arabia higher education cooperation, and expressed the hope that this exchange event would further enhance mutual understanding between the education sectors of the two countries, expand areas of cooperation, and elevate the level of cooperation.

The event brought together many important representatives from both China and Saudi Arabia. The Saudi representatives included key figures in the education field such as Yousef Al-Benyan, Minister of Education; Nasser Mohammed Al-Aqili, Vice Minister; and Abdulaziz Al-Ruwaili, CEO of the National Curriculum Center, as well as embassy representatives including Abdulrahman Al-Harbi, Saudi Ambassador to China. The Chinese representatives included Zhao Lei, Deputy Director-General of the Department of International Cooperation and Exchanges of the Ministry of Education of China; Yu Yunfeng, Director-General of the CLEC; and Hu Zhiping, Deputy Director-General of the CLEC. Leaders from nine Chinese universities, including Peking University, Fudan University, Zhejiang University, and the University of Science and Technology Beijing, shared their experiences and achievements in educational cooperation with Saudi Arabia.

Lü Zhaoping delivers remarks

Lü Zhaoping introduced the university’s historical evolution, path of international development, and cooperation with Saudi Arabia. He noted that since the university admitted its first Saudi student in 2004, it has educated more than 140 Saudi students. Armed with knowledge they acquired, these students have contributed to Saudi Arabia’s development and served as bridges for friendly exchanges between China and Saudi Arabia. In 2022, two Saudi students studying Chinese at the university wrote to President Xi Jinping, who replied and encouraged them to contribute to stronger friendship between the peoples of China and Saudi Arabia, and between China and the Arab world. Lu Zhaoping stated that the university will thoroughly implement the spirit of President Xi Jinping’s important reply, push forward the Seed Project, Bridge Project and Friendship Project, and deepen cooperation with Saudi Arabia.

After the exchange event concluded, China and Saudi Arabia signed the Cooperation Agreement on Chinese Language Teaching Resources for Saudi Middle Schools. This initiative will provide richer and higher-quality resources for Chinese language teaching in Saudi middle schools, helping to promote and spread the Chinese language in Saudi Arabia.

Event Highlights

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. The university will also take this event as an opportunity, with the support of both sides, to help China-Saudi Arabia higher education cooperation achieve new results and contribute more USTB wisdom and strength to promoting people-to-people bonds between the two countries and building a community with a shared future for mankind.

（供图：国际学生中心）