A delegation from Princess Nourah Bint Abdulrahman University (PNU), led by Hamda Abd Allah Al-Ghamdi, dean of the College of Languages at PNU, visited Beijing International Studies University (BISU) on April 8. 

BISU President Ji Jinbiao, also deputy secretary of the CPC BISU Committee, received the delegation and held an online meeting with Einas bint Suleiman Al-Eisa, president of the other university. During the meeting, a cooperation agreement between the two universities was signed.

Ji welcomed the delegation's visit and the online participation of Einas. He outlined the history of BISU and the development and construction of the School of Middle Eastern Studies and the China-Arab Cultural and Tourism Cooperation Research Center (China-Arab Center).

Ji Jinbiao (R) meets with Hamda Abd Allah Al-Ghamdi, dean of the College of Languages at PNU.

He said that the China-Arab Center, as an important national think tank and platform for cultural exchange, is dedicated to fostering diverse cooperative initiatives among government institutions, university think tanks, social organizations and enterprises in the China-Arab cultural and tourism fields. Its ultimate goal is to build a world-class research and service platform for cultural and tourism development.

Ji said he believes that establishing cooperative relations between the two universities will help advance China-Arab cooperative research. He expressed his hope that both sides would utilize the resources of the center to promote cultural and tourism cooperation and strengthen cultural exchanges.

Einas thanked BISU for the warm reception of the PNU delegation and said that this year marks the China-Saudi Arabia Year of Culture, and advancing cooperation between the two universities is a concrete manifestation of China-Saudi friendship.

Einas bint Suleiman Al-Eisa (center), president of NPU, delivers a speech online.

She said PNU has a strong program in Chinese and language studies, and she expressed her confidence in the broad prospects for future cooperation in talent cultivation and research collaboration.

Hamda said that BISU and PNU share many commonalities in tourism disciplines, sustainable development and talent cultivation, and that she hoped that the signing of the agreement would serve as an opportunity to strengthen cooperation in talent cultivation and promote friendly exchanges between the two institutions.

After the meeting, an online signing ceremony was held to further deepen cooperation in talent cultivation.

During the visit, the PNU delegation toured the campus, visited the China-Arab Center, and had discussions with representatives of the center to explore specific directions for future cooperation.