Shanghai strengthens educational ties with Central, Eastern Europe

Yang Weiren, chief of the Shanghai Education Exhibition delegation, exchanges gifts with Serbian education minister Mladen Šarčević (L) at the 2017 Shanghai Education Exhibition, Serbian sector. [Photo provided to study-shanghai.org]

As Shanghai strives to strengthen its educational ties with Central and Eastern Europe, its annual education exhibition got underway in Serbia and Poland on March 27 and ran until March 31.

Twenty-seven prestigious local universities, such as Fudan University and Shanghai Jiao Tong University, and six middle and primary schools, led by the Shanghai High School, participated in the expo, which featured promotion of the Chinese language.

At the Serbian site, Education Minister Mladen Šarčević expressed his appreciation for the two sides' prolonged friendship: "We have had talent exchanges under the guidance of government scholarships, and I'm looking forward to more down-to-earth connections with Shanghai schools in the future."

He also expressed his deep interest in popularizing study of the two sides' official languages. Serbia is in urgent need of a large number of experienced people who have mastered both Chinese and Serbian.

Vladimir Bumbaširević, rector of the University of Belgrade and organizer of the Serbian part of the expo, shared his delight in cooperating with Shanghai: "Shanghai universities can send both teachers and students to study here in Serbia, and Serbian students can also enjoy opportunities to study abroad."

Yang Weiren (first from left), chief of the Shanghai Education Exhibition delegation, and Jan Kazior (first from right), rector of Cracow University of Technology in Poland, cut the ribbon at the Poland sector of the 2017 Shanghai Education Exhibition. [Photo provided to study-shanghai.org]

In Poland, He Juan, education chief at the Chinese embassy to Poland, spoke highly of the talent exchanges between the two sides.

"Thanks to our warm friendship, the Belt and Road Initiative and President Xi Jinping's official visit last June, mutual recognition of each other's higher education has grown and it is becoming more and more convenient for our students to study abroad," she said.

Jan Kazior, rector of the Cracow University of Technology and organizer of the Poland division of the expo, expressed his gratitude for the two sides' cooperative accomplishments over the years and briefed the attendees on both the educational importance of the city of Cracow and his school's history, development and educational strength.

A memorandum of understanding on educational collaboration between Cracow University of Technology and the University of Shanghai for Science and Technology was signed following Kazior’s remarks.

A memorandum of understanding for educational cooperation is achieved between Cracow University of Technology in Poland and the University of Shanghai for Science and Technology. [Photo provided to study-shanghai.org]