On 22 December, Xu Xuemin, Vice President of SJTU, met with Joan Valadou, Consul General of France in Shanghai, and his delegation at Minhang Campus. Séverine BOUE, Consul of Education, accompanied the delegation.

Xu Xuemin expressed her warm welcome to the Consul General and his delegation. She mentioned that the Consulate General of France in Shanghai has given full play to its role as a bridge to help SJTU achieve fruitful cooperation with French universities in teaching and research, talent cultivation, and cultural mutual understanding. SJTU has a deep historical relationship with France, and the cooperation with French universities can be traced back to 120 years ago. 2024 is the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and France, and China and France will carry out a series of activities to promote friendship and cooperation between the two sides. We hope that the Consulate will assist in co-organising cultural activities and jointly promote exchanges and cooperation in the fields of education, scientific research and culture.

Wang Du said he was honoured to visit SJTU again and was very impressed by the commemorative activities of the cooperation between Ruijin Hospital affiliated to SJTU and France this year. He particularly mentioned that the SJTU Paris Institute of Engineer Excellence, co-founded by SJTU and four top French engineering schools, is a model of educational cooperation between the two countries with its amazing quality of education and the French language proficiency of its students. He also introduced that on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and France, France will carry out colourful celebrations such as the French Tourism Festival and a series of sports activities for the Olympic Games. The Consulate General will do its best to facilitate more exchanges between the two sides.

After the symposium, the Consul General and his delegation visited the new building of Institut d'Excellence d'Ingénieurs de Paris. They took part in the traditional cultural activities of the Institute on the winter solstice and exchanged views with the French teachers and young students of the Institute, and praised the students as the messengers of Sino-French friendship.

The symposium was also attended by leaders and teachers from the International Cooperation and Exchange Office and the Institut d'Ingénieurs d'Excellence de Paris.