On the morning of 13 December, SJTU President Ding Kui Ling and Vice President Xu Xuemin met with Dr Elizabeth Kiss, Chief Executive Officer of the Rhodes Foundation of the University of Oxford, and Tang Meijie, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Rhodes Foundation of the University of Oxford, and their delegation at the Minhang Campus.

Ding Quiling warmly welcomed Elizabeth Kiss and her delegation to SJTU. He said that internationalisation is one of the important genes of SJTU's policy of "comprehensive, innovative and international", and that the long-term cooperation and exchange between SJTU and the Rhodes Foundation of the University of Oxford and the results of their work are really gratifying. He emphasised that the current and future challenges faced by mankind cannot be solved by one country alone; whether it is energy, water, soil, food or global climate issues, solutions can only be found through "cross-border, cross-field, cross-disciplinary" cooperation. Whether it is energy problems, water problems, soil problems, food problems, or global climate problems, they can only be solved through "cross-border, cross-field, cross-disciplinary" co-operation. The collaboration between SJTU and the Rhodes Foundation of Oxford University will make an impressive contribution to the training of the talents needed for such solution-seeking endeavours.

Elizabeth Kiss expressed her heartfelt thanks to the university for its hospitality. She fully endorsed the vision of "Cooperation for Development". She said that China is one of the key growth areas for the Oxford Rhodes Foundation and that the Foundation will increase the number of awards for Chinese students. She highly recognised the outstanding performance of the two SJTU students who had been awarded the Oxford Rhodes Scholarships and sincerely encouraged more SJTU students to apply for the Oxford Rhodes Scholarships. She believes that the achievements of these two Rhodes Scholars in the fields of international law and new energy after graduation reflect the common philosophy of the Oxford Rhodes Foundation and SJTU in talent cultivation - to cultivate elite talents with a sense of global responsibility and global leadership.

The Oxford Rhodes Foundation is a global organisation. The Foundation brings together people from different backgrounds and perspectives and encourages them to debate openly, challenge each other's ideas and generate new perspectives in order to become public-minded leaders of the future. There are currently more than 7,000 Rhodes Scholars worldwide. Rhodes Scholars can pursue any full-time postgraduate programme of two years or more at the University of Oxford. Rhodes Scholars not only have the opportunity to interact with scholars at the forefront of science, but also build lasting friendships among Rhodes Scholars.

The meeting was also attended by relevant comrades from the Office of International Cooperation and Exchanges and the Student Affairs Office.