Qiu Yong visits Chile to promote cooperation between China and Chile on Higher Education
From December 5th to December 7th, Qiu Yong, President of Tsinghua University, led a delegation to visit Chile to promote educational cooperation and people-to-people exchange between Tsinghua University and Chile. In the meantime, Qiu Yong visited the Chilean Presidential Palace La Moneda and met with the Chief Advisor to the President of Chile Cristián Larroulet and Minister Secretary-General of the Presidency of Chile Gonzalo Blumel. President Qiu visited Universidad del Desarrollo, the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, the University of Chile, and Universidad Andrés Bello, where he exchanged views with university presidents to promote educational cooperation between Tsinghua University and Chilean universities.
On December 7th, President Qiu Yong visited the Chilean Presidential Palace La Moneda and held talks with the Chief Advisor to the President of Chile Cristián Larroulet and Minister Secretary-General of the Presidency of Chile Gonzalo Blumel. President Qiu introduced the cooperation between Tsinghua University and Chilean universities and enterprises, as well as the progress of Tsinghua University’s global strategy. President Qiu said that the establishment of the Tsinghua University Latin America Center is an important measure undertaken by Tsinghua University to promote the implementation of its global strategy, and marks the successful conclusion of the overseas layout of the global strategy for this period. The establishment of the Tsinghua University Latin America Center in Chile indicates that Tsinghua University attaches great importance to technological and people-to-people exchanges with Latin American countries and strengthens cooperation with Chilean universities and enterprises. The Tsinghua University Latin America Center will be dedicated to people-to-people exchanges, technological innovation and educational cooperation between Tsinghua University and Chile as well as other countries in Latin America.
Cristián Larroulet noted that he and Gonzalo Blumel were authorized by President Sebastián Pi？era to meet with President Qiu Yong, and extended the congratulations of the Chilean government to the establishment of the Tsinghua University Latin American Center. He said that though China and Chile are separated by a vast ocean, the friendly relations between the two countries have withstood the historical test. Upon the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping, President Sebastian Pinera is expected to attend the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in 2019, and he looks forward to the further development of economic and trade cooperation and people-to-people exchanges between the two countries. Gonzalo Blumel expressed his welcome and affirmation of Tsinghua University’s efforts to strengthen people-to-people exchanges with Chile and expected that Tsinghua University would cooperate with Chile in more fields.
Cristián Larroulet and Gonzalo Blumel said that they would actively promote cooperation and exchanges between Tsinghua University and the Ministry of Education, and other relevant government agencies and universities in Chile, and actively provide advice and support for the development of the Tsinghua University Latin America Center.
The two sides discussed the development of higher education and cultural exchanges between China and Latin America.
On December 5th, President Qiu visited the Universidad del Desarrollo to meet with President Federico Valdés. President Qiu expressed his appreciation for the large number of innovative talents in the economic and humanities fields trained by the university and contributing to the economic development of Chile since its establishment. President Qiu introduced the globalization process of Tsinghua University and the recent important development achievements, especially in promoting interdisciplinary research, innovation and entrepreneurship education.
President Federico Valdés congratulated Tsinghua University on the establishment of the Tsinghua University Latin America Center in Chile and spoke highly of Tsinghua University’s achievements in international cooperation and exchanges. Federico Valdés introduced the history and challenges of university development, as well as the university’s leading subjects such as economics and psychology. He said that the Universidad del Desarrollo attached great importance to the cooperation with China and looked forward to discussing and cooperating with Tsinghua University in areas of mutual interest.
On December 6th, President Qiu visited the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile and held talks with Ignacio Sánchez, President of the University, as well as its senior management. President Qiu expressed his appreciation of the leading academic reputation of Pontifical Catholic University of Chile in Latin America. He pointed out that this university is the university with the longest cooperation, the widest cooperation scope and the highest level of cooperation with Tsinghua University among Latin American universities, and hoped to strengthen inter-university cooperation with Pontifical Catholic University of Chile. President Qiu said that openness and cooperation are the mainstream of world university development. The establishment of the Tsinghua University Latin America Center would promote cooperation between Tsinghua University and universities in Latin America.
Ignacio Sánchez gave a warm welcome to President Qiu and said that the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile and Tsinghua University have maintained good cooperative relations, and the academic cooperation and people-to-people exchanges between the two universities have been gradually strengthened. Ignacio Sánchez praised Tsinghua University’s global academic excellence, congratulated Tsinghua University on its establishment of the Latin America Center, and hoped that the center would lay a solid foundation for the two sides to upgrade their cooperation.
President Qiu and Ignacio Sánchez signed a cooperation agreement between the two universities. According to the agreement, the two sides would conduct in-depth cooperation in research fields such as news, communication and new media.
On the same day, President Qiu visited the University of Chile and met with Ennio Vivaldi, President of the University. President Qiu said that the University of Chile was the oldest public university in Chile and had made significant contributions to the social development of Chile. Tsinghua was in a key transitional period from its first century to its second century of development, moving towards its development goal of being “more innovative and more international, with more stress on humanities”.
Ennio Vivaldi extended his warm welcome on the occasion of President Qiu’s visit. He pointed out that Chile has a very friendly cooperative relationship with China. The University of Chile pays close attention to the exchanges with Chinese universities and looks forward to establishing a comprehensive cooperative relationship with Tsinghua University.
President Qiu and Ennio Vivaldi further discussed the prospects of cooperation and exchanges between the two universities, and exchanged an inter-institutional cooperation agreement signed by the School of Journalism and Communication of Tsinghua University and the Institute of Communications and Image of the University of Chile. The two sides would expand cooperation and exchanges in the fields of communication, image and cultural studies.
On the same day, President Qiu visited Universidad Andrés Bello, where he held talks with Jose Rodríguez, President of Universidad Andres Bello, Fernando Reyes Matta, former Chilean Ambassador to China, and Director of Center for China Studies of Universidad Andrés Bello National, as well as the university management.
President Qiu said that as a prominent Chinese research think tank in Latin America, the China Research Center of Andrés Bello National University has made important contributions to strengthening the understanding of mutual trust between the Chinese and Chilean peoples, and hoped that that the center would play a bridging role in expanding the cooperation between Tsinghua University and Andrés Bello National University.
Jose Rodríguez detailed the development of Andrés Bello National University and its China Research Center. He said that Tsinghua University played an important international leading role in promoting scientific and technological innovation. Andrés Bello National University also attached great importance to scientific and technological innovation and international cooperation. It is hoped that the two universities would establish long-term cooperative relations and strengthen cooperation and exchanges in the field of scientific and technological innovation. The two sides also discussed the development of higher education and humanities research in Latin America.
Writer: Celina Jiang
Editors: John Olbrich, Guo Lili
