From June 9 to 15, Vice President Lu Weibing led a team to visit the University of Minnesota Morris in Kenya, Bahir Dar University, Federal Institute of Vocational and Technical Education and Training in Ethiopia and other institutions, pay a visit to the Chinese Embassy in Kenya, and visit the local Chinese-funded enterprises in Africa.
Lu Weibing exchanged views with Kiplagat Kotut, president of University of Minnesota Morris, and expressed his condolences to the teachers and students teaching at the Confucius Institute of University of Minnesota Morris. After the meeting, the two sides signed a framework agreement on the joint establishment of ‘Overseas College of Excellence in Engineering’, aiming at integrating advantageous resources and jointly cultivating internationally competitive professionals in the field of engineering. During the visit, the delegation attended the meeting of the Board of Governors of the Confucius Institute at Moi University to consider the annual budget and key construction projects of the Confucius Institute, and both sides reached an agreement on the development plan of the Confucius Institute and the promotion of Chinese education.
(Delegation’s visit to University of Minnesota Morris)
At Bahir Dar University of Ethiopia, President Mengesha Ayene attended the exchange meeting, where both sides discussed academic discipline construction, inter-university exchanges and scientific research cooperation, and signed a framework agreement on the construction of ‘Overseas College of Excellence in Engineering’. At the Ethiopian Federal Institute of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (EFIVET), the delegation visited the ‘Luban Workshop’ built with China's assistance, investigated the experience and effectiveness of the China-Ethiopia ‘Chinese Language + Vocational Skills’ program, and reached a preliminary intention on the exchange of teachers and students between the two schools.
(Signing of a joint establishment agreement between DongHua University and Bahir Dar University, Ethiopia)
(Delegation’s visit to the Federal Institute for Technical and Vocational Education and Training of Ethiopia)
The delegation also called on the Chinese Embassy in Kenya for in-depth talks on international education cooperation and cultural exchanges between China and Kenya. Zhang Jizhong, Counselor of the Chinese Embassy in Kenya, recognized the achievements of the Confucius Institute between Donghua University and University of Minnesota Morris, and encouraged the delegation to continue to explore the resources of special advantageous disciplines and to promote China-Kenya education and cultural exchanges in a multi-dimensional way. In addition, the delegation went to the local Chinese enterprises to investigate the demand for internationalized talents and to strengthen the foundation of university-enterprise cooperation to serve the construction of ‘Belt and Road’.
The visit further strengthened the exchange and cooperation between the university and African universities, and built an international platform for the construction of Confucius Institutes and the cultivation of overseas engineering talents. In the future, the university will continue to deepen the educational cooperation with the countries along the ‘Belt and Road’, promote the in-depth integration of industry, academia and research as well as the high-quality development of Chinese international education, and contribute Donghua's wisdom and strength to the realization of the vision of China-Africa educational cooperation.
