The China-Belarus association of universities will become a hallmark of humanitarian cooperation between our countries, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of China to Belarus Xie Xiaoyong said after the signing of the agreement on the establishment of the association, during the 1st Forum of Rectors of Higher Education Institutions of Belarus and China on 21 November, BelTA has learned.

“Chinese-Belarusian relations are at the highest level in the history of interstate relations today. Last September, the leaders of our countries met in Samarkand, where they made a decision to elevate China-Belarus relations to an all-weather, comprehensive strategic partnership, which gave a new impetus to the development of our relations in all the areas. We can say that our bilateral relations have made a historic leap forward. Today's agreement marks a landmark event in the history of cooperation in education between China and Belarus. More than 80 higher education institutions of the two countries have joined this association. The main forces of cooperation in education will be concentrated here. We have every reason to turn the association into another charming hallmark of China-Belarus humanitarian cooperation in such areas as inter-university cooperation, joint training of specialists, including exchange of teachers, students, and also joint scientific work, and so on,” Xie Xiaoyong said.

The ambassador is confident that the establishment of the association will further promote Chinese-Belarusian cooperation not only in education, but also mutually beneficial cooperation in all the areas. “Such an association is of great importance for training even more Chinese and Belarusian scholars who know well the languages of our two countries, who understand Chinese and Belarusian cultures, who are ready to stay committed to Chinese-Belarusian cooperation. In short, the creation of such a large-scale association of universities opens up many opportunities for further development of our cooperation in education,” he added.

More than 80 universities of Belarus and China have joined the association. The plenary session was attended by rectors of universities of both countries. The forum will continue with breakout sessions, university visits and bilateral meetings.