Peter Wilson, British Ambassador to China, led a delegation on a visit to Sun Yat-sen University (SYSU) on November 19, aiming to deepen China-UK educational cooperation and foster joint efforts in tackling global challenges.
The visit began with a courtesy meeting between Ambassador Wilson and Prof. Song Gao, President of SYSU at Blackstone Lodge on South Campus. President Song Gao extended a warm welcome to Ambassador Wilson and his delegation, providing an overview of the university's campus structure and highlighting the university's achievements in talent cultivation, interdisciplinary innovation, and international partnerships.
President Song Gao in discussion with Peter Wilson, British Ambassador to China.
President Song Gao emphasized that international collaboration has long been a cornerstone of SYSU's development. Over the years, the university has forged partnerships with more than ten leading UK institutions, including the University of Oxford and the University of Birmingham, in fields such as medicine, geography, and law, which have yielded significant outcomes. He expressed SYSU's interest in broadening and deepening cooperation with UK universities to achieve mutual benefit.
Ambassador Wilson praised SYSU's academic and research excellence and its progress on internationalization. He said the UK government places high value on engagement with China's higher-education sector and expressed hope that the visit would help expand collaboration in joint degree programs, scientific research and faculty and student exchanges. He emphasized that such cooperation could contribute to addressing global issues such as healthy ageing and climate change.
The delegation then moved on to a roundtable discussion chaired by Qi Zhang, Vice Chair of the University Council. Faculty and student representatives engaged in in-depth exchanges on topics ranging from interdisciplinary collaboration, healthy ageing, international talent development and youth empowerment.
Roundtable Discussion
Prof. Chenguang Chang, Dean of the School of International Studies; Prof. Qinchuan Xin, Vice Dean of the School of Geography and Planning; Prof. Wei Chen, Vice President of the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University; and Le Gao, a graduate student from Boya (Liberal Arts) College, shared unique insights rooted in their expertise and practical experience.
The discussion prompted an active exchange between the ambassador and university representatives on the role of educational and cultural exchange in fostering mutual understanding and the role of higher education in global governance.
The ambassador's visit marks a new chapter in China-UK university cooperation. Moving forward, SYSU will work closely with its UK partners to build interdisciplinary platforms, nurture globally minded innovators, and pool expertise from both countries to address shared global challenges.
Photo: Huang Runxuan, Zhang Langrui
