To further promote high-quality development of the university’s internationalization strategy, Party Secretary Zhang Jianhua led a delegation to the United Kingdom from May 26 to 28 for a goodwill visit. The delegation visited the University of Oxford, the University of South Wales, London South Bank University, and the London Confucius Institute for Traditional Chinese Medicine, seeking high-quality educational resources, discussing in-depth cooperation projects, and learning advanced educational practices.

  At Hertford College, University of Oxford, Ms. Caroline Rice, Head of International Programmes, introduced the college’s history, distinctive features, and various long-term and short-term international exchange programmes. Professor Andrew Hemingway elaborated on Oxford’s education system, talent cultivation model, and educational philosophy. The delegation held detailed consultations on entry requirements, group standards, recruitment criteria, and cooperation details for student exchanges between our university and Oxford, reaching a preliminary cooperation agreement. The delegation also toured the college’s teaching and research facilities.

  At the Oxford Institute of Population Ageing, the delegation gained in-depth insights into the Institute’s development history, research platform construction, cutting-edge research achievements, interdisciplinary integration, and future development plans. Building on a strong foundation of prior collaboration, both parties officially signed the Student Visit Cooperation Agreement, establishing a regular mechanism for students from our university to undertake academic visits at the Institute. They also reached a consensus to jointly apply for the Innovative Talent Joint Training Program funded by the China Scholarship Council (CSC). Furthermore, the delegation presented our university’s talent recruitment policies, building a bridge to attract and cultivate high-level overseas talent.

  At the University of South Wales, the delegation held extensive talks with Professor James Gravelle, Executive Deputy Vice-Chancellor; Professor Martin Stegall, Vice-Chancellor for Research and Innovation; and the university’s senior management team. The discussions focused on the Sino-foreign cooperative education program that both sides are prioritizing. Comprehensive and in-depth negotiations were conducted on key aspects including operational details of the cooperative program, admissions criteria, talent cultivation plans, academic assessment standards, degree awarding requirements, and core educational positioning. The two parties refined the cooperation clauses item by item, and renewed the Memorandum of Friendly Cooperation as well as the letter of intent for Sino-Foreign Cooperative Education. Through precise alignment of research teams from both universities, the two sides established a regular mechanism for collaborative research. They also held detailed discussions on the direction of joint master’s and doctoral student training, and inaugurated the Overseas Joint Training Base for Postgraduate Students. Our university officially launched the Overseas Talent Workstation at the University of South Wales. During the visit, the delegation also toured the Sports Rehabilitation and Therapy Center, conducting a comprehensive review of its teaching and research platforms, experimental and practical training facilities, and the supporting conditions for talent development. 

 At London South Bank University and the Confucius Institute for Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) at London South Bank University, the delegation held a meeting with Professor Yinong Xu, Director of the Confucius Institute, and the Chinese and UK management teams. They gained detailed insights into the Institute’s history, distinctive educational models, achievements in promoting TCM overseas, successful experiences in localized operation, as well as advanced initiatives in the internationalization of TCM education and the expansion of overseas clinical services. The delegation toured the Institute’s dedicated TCM clinic, teaching facilities, and research infrastructure. They also inspected the overall teaching and research conditions at London South Bank University, accumulating valuable experience for our university’s international cultural exchange and the global development of its signature academic programs.

  The visit yielded multiple concrete cooperation outcomes, effectively deepening our university’s friendly ties with UK higher education institutions, further expanding the channels and forms of international cooperation and exchange, and contributing to the steady progress of the university’s internationalization efforts.

  The delegation included relevant heads from the Office of Academic Affairs, the Office of Graduate Studies, the Office of International Cooperation and Exchange, and the School of Public Health.