On May 27, 2024, President of Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU), Ding Kuiling, met with the visiting delegation led by H.E. Ahmad Belhoul AlFalasi, the UAE Minister of Education, at the Minhang Campus. H.E. Muhannad Alnaqbi, Consul General of the UAE in Shanghai, accompanied the delegation. Representatives from the SJTU International Cooperation and Exchange Office, the Graduate School, the Student Affairs Office, and related colleges attended the meeting.
Ding Kuiling welcomed the delegation and provided a brief overview of SJTU's history and development, as well as its recent educational collaborations with Arab countries. He noted that the UAE, being the first Arab country to establish a strategic partnership with China, is a solid partner in promoting the China-Arab community of shared destiny and the Belt and Road Initiative in the Gulf region. This year marks the 40th anniversary of China-Arab diplomatic relations, a period during which bilateral cooperation has flourished, ushering in a golden era for their relationship. Against the backdrop of the UAE's economic knowledge transition in the "post-oil era" and China's dual carbon goals, Ding expressed confidence that both sides could explore extensive cooperation in interdisciplinary fields such as sustainable energy, environmental engineering, and artificial intelligence. He emphasized the potential to cultivate top talents capable of addressing global issues, with an international perspective and cross-cultural communication skills.
Additionally, Cheng Jinhua, Deputy Dean of the Graduate School, Kong Lingxun, Deputy Dean of the Michigan Institute, and Cai Wenjing, Deputy Dean of the School of Humanities, provided overviews of their respective programs for international students and their colleges.
As this visit to China was their first stop, AlFalasi expressed his honor to visit SJTU and highly praised the university’s effective work in international exchange and cooperation. He gained an initial understanding of SJTU's unique English-taught engineering platform projects, Chinese language programs, short-term non-degree programs, and scholarship opportunities. He expressed a desire for more pragmatic cooperation in the areas of elite talent cultivation, international student recruitment, faculty exchange, and scientific research. Noting the recent surge in interest in learning Chinese in the UAE, he hoped that more UAE students could study at SJTU. Additionally, in the cutting-edge fields of sustainable development and artificial intelligence, he envisioned both sides leveraging SJTU’s robust foundational research disciplines and excellent research platforms to promote mutual progress and seek breakthroughs at multiple levels.
Following the meeting, the delegation toured the SJTU History Museum and engaged in a friendly exchange with UAE students currently studying at SJTU.