From June 8 to 13, Han Shangfeng, Chair of the University Council, headed a delegation to France and Belgium. The delegation visited partner institutions including UniLaSalle, Ecole Spéciale des Travaux Publics (ESTP), Ecole Supérieure pour le Développement Economique et Social (ESDES), and Université de Mons. It also visited the Sino-French Alliance for Higher and Vocational Education and Lyonbiopôle . During the trip, the delegation attended a seminar marking the 10th anniversary of bilateral cooperation and discussed a wide range of collaborative matters, including joint talent training, development of collaborative education programmes, industry-university-research joint research, and renewal of inter-university agreements. The delegation paid courtesy calls at the Chinese Embassies in France and Belgium to strengthen ties with the University’s European partners, build mutual trust and pave the way for deeper cooperation going forward.
On the morning of June 8, the delegation arrived at the Beauvais Campus of UniLaSalle and held a seminar celebrating the 10th anniversary of cooperation between the two universities. Present at the meeting were Philippe Choquet, President of UniLaSalle; Sébastien Ride, Director of International Relations; Arnaud Dujany, Deputy Director of Research at the Amiens Campus; Stéphanie Pinault, Director of External Relations and Cooperation; Yannick Vautier, Dean of the Faculty of Earth Sciences; Elsa Ottavi-Poupier, Vice-Dean for Teaching of the Faculty of Earth Sciences; and Sébastien Portet, Head of the Mineralogy and Petrology Laboratory. During the discussion, Han Shangfeng reflected on the productive two-way student exchanges established over the past decade. He pointed out that both universities have acted upon President Xi Jinping’s important initiative to foster reciprocal people-to-people exchanges between China and France. He voiced hope that the two sides would keep expanding student exchange programmes, boost participant numbers, and develop joint training programmes tailored to France’s engineering education framework. Philippe Choquet observed that the two institutions have parallel histories and academic profiles, creating ample scope and strong potential for partnership. He looked forward to deeper collaboration going forward to nurture talent and strengthen academic disciplines at both universities.
Han Shangfeng and the delegation toured the university’s Mineralogy and Petrology Laboratory.
Later that day, Han Shangfeng met with Shen Dai, President of the Sino-French Alliance for Higher and Vocational Education and Chairman and President of Brest Business School. The two sides exchanged views on comparisons between the Chinese and French higher education systems, EUR-ACE accreditation, and university-enterprise joint talent development. They also discussed how to leverage the alliance’s resources to sustain in-depth cooperation between Chinese and French universities.
On the morning of June 9, the delegation paid a courtesy call on the Chinese Embassy in France and was received by An Yan, Minister Counsellor. Han Shangfeng briefed the embassy on the university’s history, academic strengths and overall cooperation with French higher education institutions. He thanked the embassy for its guidance and support for the university’s France-focused cooperation efforts and hoped the embassy would help the university expand exchanges and partnerships with member institutions of France’s Groupe des Écoles des Mines. An Yan stated that he was pleased to witness the university’s long-standing, stable and productive cooperation with multiple French universities. As Sino-French educational cooperation opens a new chapter, the embassy will continue its steadfast support. He encouraged the university and its French partners to develop high-level, distinctive cooperation platforms and deepen bilateral educational and cultural exchanges. Yan Aihua, First Secretary of the Education Section, attended the meeting.
On the afternoon of June 9, the delegation visited Ecole Spéciale des Travaux Publics (ESTP) and met with Sophie-Caroline Huisman, the school’s official in charge of international cooperation; Paulina Leiva-Padilla, Professor of Pavement Engineering; and Cédric Glaser, Student Exchange Coordinator of the International Office. Representatives from both sides held in-depth discussions on two-way student exchanges for the autumn semester and the establishment of a regular faculty exchange mechanism for civil engineering and geology programmes. Han Shangfeng noted that ESTP is a benchmark institution for civil engineering in France, with decades of dedication to training engineers in the field. Its talent development model, defined by deep industry-academia-research integration, aligns closely with the university’s engineering education practices. He called for further deepened bilateral cooperation in talent development, and proposed joint scientific research tailored to industry and enterprise needs, building on their shared disciplinary strengths in civil engineering and related disciplines.
On June 10, Han Shangfeng led the delegation to Ecole Supérieure pour le Développement Economique et Social (ESDES Business School). William Hirst, Dean of ESDES, held talks with the delegation, joined by Caroline Duval, Director of International Relations, Oussama Labidi, Head of Graduate Programmes, and other relevant staff. Both sides presented their respective institutional histories and distinctive educational strengths. Han Shangfeng commended the school for its dual international accreditations from AACSB and EFMD. He noted that ESDES’ experience in professional accreditation offers a valuable reference for the university. He also highlighted the school’s MSc in Circular Economy and expressed his hope that the two universities would establish structured student and faculty exchange schemes, explore joint training programmes in business and management, and cultivate well-rounded management professionals with a global outlook and cross-cultural leadership capabilities. Dean William Hirst made clear his willingness to develop joint programmes and proposed that working-level teams from both institutions launch alignment discussions at the earliest opportunity.
On the morning of June 11, the delegation visited LyonBioPole. Justin Merlin, a senior official at the park, gave the delegation an overview of its membership structure, financing models and R&D support mechanisms, as well as its vision for building an innovation ecosystem by pooling resources across biotechnology research institutes, hospitals, pharmaceutical companies and universities.
Later that day, Han Shangfeng and the delegation flew to Belgium and paid a courtesy call on the Chinese Embassy in Belgium that afternoon, where they were received by Li Hui, Education Counsellor, and other embassy officials. Han Shangfeng outlined the university’s more than a decade of friendly exchanges and cooperation with Université de Mons, along with the solid progress made in talent training. Key milestones include the conferral of an Honorary Doctorate on Academician He Manchao by the university in 2012, over 60 exchange students sent by the university, and joint master’s programmes delivered by both institutions. He thanked the embassy for its guidance and support for the university’s exchange students and expressed hope that the embassy would continue to support the university in expanding cooperation with Belgian higher education institutions. Li Hui noted that she was pleased to learn of the solid foundation for cooperation between the university and Université de Mons. The embassy fully supports deeper collaboration between the two universities, she added, and hoped both sides would fully leverage bilateral policies and measures to promote educational exchanges and cooperation, broaden areas of collaboration, expand the scale of exchanges, and make greater contributions to educational, sci-tech and people-to-people exchanges between China and Belgium. Yi Ying, Second Secretary of the Education Section, attended the meeting.
On the morning of June 12, Han Shangfeng led the delegation to Université de Mons for talks with Philippe Dubois, President of the university; Laurence Ris, Vice-President for International Cooperation; Véronique Feldheim, Dean of the Faculty of Engineering; François Vallee, Vice-Dean of the Faculty of Engineering; Pierre Dambry, Professor of Mechanical Design and Manufacturing Engineering; and Fanny Descamps, Professor of Mining Engineering. Han Shangfeng outlined the university’s history and academic achievements, highlighting the progress of bilateral cooperation since the two universities signed their inter-university cooperation agreement in 2011. The two sides held in-depth discussions on maintaining close engagement through structured exchange mechanisms, supporting faculty and student exchanges via diverse funding streams, and exploring joint Sino-foreign training programmes. They also reached consensus on expanding and renewing the cooperation agreement. Noting that this year marks both the 55th anniversary of China-Belgium diplomatic relations and the 15th anniversary of cooperation between the two universities—a key milestone for both sides—Han Shangfeng expressed hope that the two institutions would scale up two-way exchanges, tap into the full potential of degree-level cooperation, and pursue joint research on shared priorities including sustainable development, urban resilience and green buildings. Philippe Dubois stated that the two universities enjoy a solid foundation for cooperation and have forged a deep friendship through years of collaboration, with close bonds between faculty and students at both institutions. He expressed confidence that bilateral cooperation would reach new and greater heights in the years ahead.
Following the talks, Han Shangfeng and the delegation visited the university’s Department of Mining Engineering for a focused discussion, where they deliberated on detailed implementation plans for joint research project applications and joint training of master and doctoral students in fields including mining engineering, geological engineering and risk prevention and control. The delegation also toured the department’s engineering laboratories.
This visit has strengthened ties with the university’s existing French and Belgian partners, added new partners and expanded cooperation areas. As a major step in Sino-foreign educational and academic exchange, it will bring fresh impetus to the university’s international talent training and research collaboration.
