Xiangtan University Discusses Inter-university Cooperation with 11 African Universities

Written by: Zhang Gan

Photosby:Wang Chengqi

Edited by:Zhang Gan

Translated by: Li Tingting, Xiao Liang

Source: Publicity Department of the Party Committee

On the evening of July 11, the Xiangtan University–African Universities Inter-university Cooperation Exchange Meeting was held in Changsha. The event gathered 11 university presidents, deans and faculty representatives from 8 African countries. President Liao Yong’an attended the meeting,andVice President Liu Jingang presided over it. Relevant officials from the LawSchool, Business School, School of ForeignStudies, China-Africa Research Institute and International Exchange Office also participated in the exchange.

At the exchange session, remarks were delivered in turn by Professor WilliamAnangisye, Chancellor of the University of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania,ProfessorLawton-Misra, Vice-Chancellor of the University of the Western Cape, South Africa,Winifred, Dean of theLawSchool, University of Nairobi,Landriatavy, Dean of the Law and Political ScienceSchool, University of Antananarivo, Madagascar,Binda, Dean of theLawSchool, University of Rwanda,Redae, Director of External Relations and Cooperation Affairs, Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia,together with academic experts from the University of Cape Town in South Africa, Mohammed V University in Morocco, and the University of Mauritius. Participants held in-depth discussions on deepening inter-university cooperation, exchanging extensive views on student exchange and joint training, faculty mobility and collaborative research, curriculum development and teacher resource sharing, joint journal publishing and international conference organization, as well as education support for African students in China, and reached broad consensus on future cooperation.

Liao Yong’an responded to the concerns raised by African university representatives one by one. He stated that Xiangtan University is ready to conduct deeper cooperation with higher education institutions across Africa, expanding collaboration into law, economy and trade, history, humanities and other fields. He expressed the expectation of signing inter-university cooperation agreements with participating universities, taking such agreements as a bond to effectively advance all cooperative initiatives, translate cooperation visions into practical implementation roadmaps, and contribute greater university strength to building an all-weather China-Africa community with a shared future in the new era.

As a member of the Ministry of Education’s China-Africa University 20+20 Cooperation Program and one of the first batch of leading Chinese universities under the China-Africa University Hundred-School Cooperation Program, Xiangtan University enjoys a nationwide leading edge in African legal studies. It has formed distinctive features highlighted by African law research, in-depth interdisciplinary collaboration, and equal emphasis on academic research and think-tank services. Going forward, XiangtanUniversity will further strengthen the development of the China-Africa Research Institute.It will follow a clear development orientationoftaking African legal research as the guide, promoting economic and trade cooperation as the goal, drawingonAfrican history, culture and people-to-people exchanges, and highlighting distinctive strengths in national social governance and exchanges between civilizations.XiangtanUniversity will strive to build four major highlands for China-Africa cooperation, includinga highland for talent cultivation, a highland for serving economic and trade cooperation, a highland for international exchanges, and a highland for overseas training.Supported by the dual strengths of rigorous academic research and inclusive cultural exchanges, Xiangtan University will gather momentum and contribute greater wisdom and insights to China-Africa cooperation.