On November 26, 2025, Joan Valadou, Consul General of France in Shanghai, and Antoine Kouchner, Vice President of Université Paris Cité, led a delegation to visit Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU). Vice President Zhang Zhaoguo met with the delegation at the Minhang Campus. Both sides held in-depth discussions on strengthening China–France educational cooperation and jointly attended the opening ceremony of the “Three-Minute Thesis (3MT) Popular Science Competition” grand finale.
Vice President Zhang Zhaoguo extended a warm welcome to the Consul General and his delegation. He reviewed the long-standing partnership between SJTU and French universities and research institutions, noting that significant achievements have been made in fields such as medicine and engineering. The SJTU–Paris Elite Institute of Technology stands as a successful example of this collaboration. Zhang emphasized that this meeting will open a new chapter of cooperation and expressed hope for further expansion in areas such as dual-degree programs, joint research platforms, and humanities exchanges, thereby advancing China–France cooperation in education and science to a new stage.
Consul General Valadou highlighted the essential role of people-to-people exchanges—particularly educational cooperation—in advancing China–France relations. He noted that the “Three-Minute Thesis” competition provides an important platform for fostering mutual understanding and dialogue among young scholars from both countries and expressed appreciation to SJTU for its contributions to organizing the event. Building upon past achievements, he expressed hope that the two sides will continue to broaden and deepen their cooperation in the future.
During the meeting, SJTU and Université Paris Cité signed a Memorandum of Understanding and a student exchange agreement, laying a solid foundation for future collaboration.
Representatives from the SJTU Office of International Cooperation and Exchange, the Paris Elite Institute of Technology, and the Tsung-Dao Lee Institute also attended the related activities.
The “Three-Minute Thesis (3MT) Popular Science Competition” is a signature science communication initiative launched by the Embassy of France in China for young Chinese and French researchers. It aims to encourage young scholars to present the value of scientific research to the public in a clear and accessible manner. The competition is included under the China–France High-Level People-to-People Exchange Mechanism and serves as an important platform for academic and cultural exchange between the two countries. Now in its third edition, this year’s competition is co-hosted by SJTU, the Consulate General of France in Shanghai, and Université Paris Cité.
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