The University of National and World Economy hosted a Bulgarian-Chinese Rectors' Forum for Cooperation and Exchange to create new, mutually beneficial forms of academic and scientific interaction and to expand the partnership with higher education institutions from China.
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At the beginning of the Forum the children's choir of Evlogy and Hristo Georgiev Private Secondary School with intensive study of the Chinese language performed Chinese songs.
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The event is organized in cooperation with the Embassy of the People's Republic of China and the China Education Association for International Exchange. Guests of honor at the event were the Deputy Minister of Education and Science Acad. Prof. Nikolay Vitanov and the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the People's Republic of China to the Republic of Bulgaria H.E. Ms. Dai Qingli.
"The purpose of this forum is to build new, mutually beneficial forms of academic and scientific interaction and to expand the partnership with universities from China", said Assoc. Prof. Dr. Yanko Hristozov, Vice-Rector for International Affairs of UNWE and moderator of the event adding: "UNWE has a tradition of enrolling foreign students from the People's Republic of China under several dual degree programmes and the students of these programmes show a great desire to actively participate in the academic life of the University by excelling in the academic content, but also gradually becoming true ambassadors of our shared ideas and values and they continue participating, even in their professional lives, in our various initiatives and campaigns, for which we are sincerely grateful to them".
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"Today we present at a historic event that will be talked about for a long time as a turning point in the educational policies of both countries. As we celebrate the 20th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Bulgaria and China, it is especially important that we focus our forum on the exchange of students, lecturers and educational practices", said the Rector of UNWE Prof. Dr. Dimitar Dimitrov emphasizing: "Our university leads a sustainable policy of international cooperation, including with Chinese universities. We work with 6 Chinese universities and provide dual Master's degree programmes in International Business and Management taught in English with Shanghai Zhao Tong University and a dual Bachelor's degree programme in Economics taught in English with Tianjin Foreign Studies University".
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"The Ministry of Education and Science has established diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China for 75 years. Since then, the two countries have maintained good relations and partnerships in the fields of economy and trade, agriculture, science and technology, culture and education", said Acad. Prof. Nikolay Vitanov, Deputy Minister of Education and Science, referring to the Agreement of Cooperation in the field of education between the Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China and the Bulgarian Ministry of Education and Science signed on 23 June 2020 which has given an additional impetus to the educational and scientific cooperation between the two countries and includes the exchange of professionals, language training and scientific research, especially in the higher education.
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"The successful organization of today's event underlines the close cooperation between the two countries in the field of education and their common vision to deepen the educational exchange and development. The education is the cornerstone of national development and the innovation is the key to modernize a country", said H.E. Ms. Dai Qingli, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the People's Republic of China to the Republic of Bulgaria and added: "Bulgaria is an important partner of China in the region of Central and Eastern Europe. In recent years, the universities of the two countries have deepened their cooperation and actively promoted a number of projects, such as academic exchanges, joint research and mutual visits by lecturrers and students, which have given new impetus to the development of education in both countries".
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"In recent years the cooperation between China and Europe in the field of education has continued to deepen and has achieved remarkable results", said Fu Bo, Deputy Secretary-General of the China Education Association for International Exchange. "In today's world the global climate change is intensifying, regional conflicts continue and the human peace and development are faced to enormous challenges. In this context, strengthening the pragmatic cooperation between China and Bulgaria in the fields of education, science, technology and talents will not only help to improve the quality and level of higher education in both countries but also to promote the development of both countries in the fields of economy, culture, science and technology. We look forward to deepening the cooperation with Bulgarian higher education institutions in the following three areas: academic exchanges between lecturers and students, promoting the joint training of talents at high level and promoting the digitalization of education." She concluded with the Chinese proverb: "It takes ten years to grow trees and a hundred years to cultivate people". She added that "we need to show a more open mind, a more pragmatic style and a more innovative thinking to promote the continuous development of cooperation in education. I believe that with the joint efforts of all the cooperation between China and Bulgaria in the field of education will surely achieve more fruitful results".
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The participants were also greetd by Prof. Dr. Miglena Temelkova, Chairperson of the Council of Rectors of Higher Education Institutions in the Republic of Bulgaria. She pointed out that this forum is extremely important for both the Bulgarian and Chinese educational systems, as there is much to build on. "I hope that after today's forum, the universities that have signed cooperation agreements will start to develop their activities in a bilateral direction and will achieve the goals they have set. They will implement deeper and broader cultural exchanges, exchange of students in various programmes and will expand their visions about their future development."
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In relation to the organization of the Forum Mrs. Fu Bo awarded to the Rector Prof. Dr. Dimitar Dimitrov a medal of appreciation.
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The event was attended by representatives from 55 Chinese and 20 Bulgarian universities and some of the Bulgarian universities signed memoranda of cooperation with the Chinese universities.
The UNWE signed four Memoranda of Cooperation - with Lanzhou University of Finance and Economy, Wuhan University of Technology, Nanyang Normal University and Nanjing Tech University.
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The Forum continued with three plenary sessions in the following thematic fields: promoting digitalization in higher education, opportunities and challenges in promoting the educational mobility of students and employees and deepening the research cooperation.
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| Before the event the pupils of the children's choir of Evlogy and Hristo Georgiev Private Secondary School led by Mrs. Gergana Kirilova, Director of the Rector`s Office walked through the UNWE and visited the University Library |
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