A delegation led by Huang Baoyin, secretary of the CPC University of International Business and Economics (UIBE) Committee, visited the United Kingdom from Feb. 24 to 28, deepening ties with leading British universities in education cooperation.

During the trip, the delegation sealed a cooperation letter of intent with the University of Sussex, held discussions with administrators from the University of Leeds, visited the Education Section of the Chinese Embassy in London, and attended events hosted by the Business Confucius Institute at the University of Leeds.

Partnership with Sussex

University of Sussex Vice-Chancellor and President Sasha Roseneil greeted the UIBE delegation on Feb. 25 during their visit to Sussex. The two schools held a signing ceremony to formalize plans for a joint education institution centered on emerging interdisciplinary research bridging digital intelligence and finance and economics.

"UIBE and the University of Sussex hold highly consistent educational philosophies, disciplinary layouts and international development strategies," Huang said following the signing.

Roseneil commended UIBE's standing in economics and business education, describing the university as an ideal strategic partner.

Huang met with local UIBE alumni based in London later that evening.

Meeting with embassy education officials

Huang held a meeting with Zhou Wei, minister counselor and head of the education section at the Chinese Embassy in the UK on Feb. 26. He outlined UIBE's plans for the joint institute with the University of Sussex and sought the embassy's guidance on policy coordination and government approval procedures for the collaborative initiative. Zhou pledged embassy backing for UIBE's expanded strategic academic ties with universities in the UK.

Leeds visit and Confucius Institute events

The following day, the UIBE delegation visited the University of Leeds, where they met with Kenneth McDowall, interim pro-vice-vhancellor for student education and experience, and Cathy Myles, student education pro dean at Leeds Business School. The two sides reviewed their partnership spanning more than a decade, which originated in 2012 with the establishment of the Business Confucius Institute at the University of Leeds. Since its founding, the institute has enrolled over 12,000 students.

McDowall spoke highly of UIBE's academic prestige and international clout in economics and business fields. He voiced interest in deeper collaboration covering joint research projects, faculty and student exchanges and co-designed academic courses.

Huang then toured the campus exhibition titled Tang Xianzu and William Shakespeare: A Tribute to the Classics. He also presented the UIBE Confucius Institute 20th Anniversary Partnership Award to key local partners to honor their work supporting Chinese language instruction and cross-cultural exchange.