Pablo Beltrán Ayala, president of the Council of Higher Education in Ecuador, visited Beijing International Studies University (BISU) on July 4. 

Ji Jinbiao, deputy secretary of the CPC BISU Committee and BISU president, welcomed Ayala and his delegation. Zheng Chengjun, member of the Standing Committee of the CPC BISU Committee and vice-president of the university, and He Jing, assistant to the BISU president, attended the meeting.

Ji Jinbiao (right), deputy secretary of the CPC BISU Committee and BISU president, meets Pablo Beltrán Ayala, president of the Council of Higher Education in Ecuador, on July 4.

Ji emphasized BISU's commitment to internationalization and its active efforts in expanding global partnerships. He expressed a willingness to collaborate further with South American institutions and highlighted BISU's successful establishment of two Confucius Institutes in the Americas, which have contributed significantly to the promotion of international Chinese language education and cultural exchange. 

Ji expressed his hope for the support of the Council of Higher Education in Ecuador in strengthening ties between BISU and Ecuadorian universities in such areas as joint Confucius Institute construction, faculty recommendation, student exchanges, and international organizational cooperation, fostering educational collaboration and cultural exchange between the two parties.

Ayala expressed gratitude for the warm reception at BISU. He noted the increasing closeness of the Ecuador-China relationship in recent years, with China being an important trading partner for Ecuador. He emphasized that deepening cooperation in the educational and cultural sectors is an important means to eliminate barriers and enhance communication. Ecuador is actively promoting international educational cooperation, and the timing is opportune for educational collaboration between the two countries. 

Ecuadorian educational institutions are highly interested in cooperating with China. Ayala expressed full support for joint efforts in constructing Confucius Institutes, forging diverse cooperative agreements, and nurturing academic and student exchanges between BISU and Ecuadorian educational institutions.

Zheng stated that the cooperation plans between the two parties are highly compatible. He expressed a willingness to strengthen collaboration with Ecuador in advantageous disciplines such as tourism, translation, and international relations, as well as exploring the possibilities of establishing overseas programs, contributing to the enhancement of cultural exchanges between China and Ecuador.

A group photo of the visit

Accompanying Ayala were Maria S. Rocha Díaz, advisor to president of the Council of Higher Education in Ecuador, and Mao Shuang, a teacher from the UE Si Miao Wei Hua del Ecuador. Zhang Ke, vice-dean of the School of European Studies at BISU, Yu Gang, director of the International Exchange and Cooperation Office, and Deputy Director Yuan Yu also participated in the meeting.