Chinese and Canadian universities celebrate 45 years of partnership

East China Normal University (ECNU) in Shanghai and the University of Victoria in Canada celebrated the 45th anniversary of their higher education partnership on April 28.

As the first officially documented overseas partner of ECNU, the partnership is regarded as a significant milestone in Sino-Canadian educational exchanges.

Zeng Zhi, acting consul general of China in Vancouver, sent a congratulatory letter to both universities.

"At present, China-Canada relations have been on a continuous path of improvement. As an important part of bilateral relations, educational cooperation is embracing broader development prospects," Zheng wrote in the letter.

He encouraged the two institutions to use the anniversary as a new starting point to inject stronger educational momentum into advancing the healthy and stable development of Sino-Canadian relations.

Robina Thomas, acting president and vice-chancellor of University of Victoria, said over the past 45 years the cooperation between the two universities has evolved from initial exchanges among scholars to multi-level collaborations.

Lei Qili, vice-president of ECNU, said future collaborations will focus on three key areas: expanding student exchanges, strengthening research and talent collaboration, and creating a platform for mutual cultural learning.