A delegation led by Zhang Yan, a member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Beijing International Studies University (BISU) Committee and vice-president of the university, visited Belarus from Nov 20-24.

They attended the establishment ceremony of the China-Belarus University Alliance, the presidents' forum of member universities and an internal meeting at the Chinese embassy in Belarus. 

A cooperation agreement was signed with Minsk State Linguistic University (MSLU) on joint training programs for Master of Translation and Interpreting (MTI) students, and the cooperation with the Union of Writers has been negotiated.

The establishment ceremony of the alliance was held at the National Library of Belarus in Minsk on Nov 21, attracting more than 200 representatives from 75 universities. BISU was among one of the first batch of 40 Chinese universities to join it.  

Zhang signs the agreement to join the alliance.

The alliance is a milestone in educational cooperation between the two countries. As an important component of pragmatic cooperation, educational cooperation advances cultural exchanges, facilitates cultural integration and fosters mutual understanding.

A group photo of the guests at the establishing ceremony

The delegation attended the presidents' forum of member universities at Belarusian State University on the same day. Themed “Application of Digital Technology in the Educational Process”, the forum had guests to discuss the impact of technology on education and internationalization of higher education.

The delegation attends the presidents' forum.

The delegation visited the Great Stone China-Belarus Industrial Park, located in the suburbs of Minsk, Belarus, upon the invitation of the newly launched alliance on Nov 22.

The industrial park, established in 2010, is currently China’s largest overseas economic and trade cooperation zone. It is also the largest investment project for attracting foreign investment in Belarus. Meeting the leaders from the China-Belarus Industrial Park, the delegation discussed with them cooperation opportunities in university-enterprise collaboration and overseas internships.

A group photo taken at the industrial park

The BISU delegation and the representatives of the industrial park have a meeting on Nov 22.

The delegation also met with Ales Karlyukevich, the chairman of the Union of Writers. Karlyukevich thanked BISU for its contributions to cultural exchanges between the two countries.

He said the union has always been committed to promoting Chinese culture in Belarus, and he hopes to strengthen cooperation with BISU, particularly in promoting Chinese writers by translating and publishing their works in Belarus.

Zhang Yan thanked the union for its support to BISU. Emphasizing the role BISU's Belarus Research Center has played in cooperation between the two countries, he hopes for more cultural exchanges between the two sides. Zhang and Karlyukevich exchanged their translated works after the meeting.

Zhang and Karlyukevich hold a meeting.

An internal meeting organized by the Chinese Embassy in Belarus for the alliance was held on the same day. Ambassador Xie Xiaoyong welcomed the delegation. During the meeting, Zhang met with BISU alumnus Zhang Shizhuang, who is currently working at the embassy.

A group photo of Xie, Zhang and BISU alumni

The delegation visited MSLU on Nov 23. Natalia Laptseva, rector of MSLU welcomed the delegation. She said that BISU is an important partner of MSLU, and fruitful results have been achieved in curriculum cooperation, student exchange and academic research. She hopes to see more cooperation between the two universities. After discussing various cooperation programs, an agreement on the joint cultivation of MTI students was signed.

The delegation meets with MSLU representatives on Nov 22.

The two sides sign a cooperation agreement.