On the afternoon of May 13, Elwen Evans, chancellor of the University of Wales Trinity Saint David (UWTSD), ZHU Wei, vice-chancellor of UWTSD, and their colleagues visited Lanzhou University (LZU). MA Xiaojie, Party secretary of LZU, and YANG Yongping, president of LZU and an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, met with the guests. WANG Wei, vice-president of LZU also attended the meeting.
After welcoming the delegation, MA reviewed LZU’s recent strides in discipline construction, talent cultivation, and scientific research under the “Double First-Class” project (world-class universities and first-class disciplines). He noted that as a key platform for Sino-British higher education cooperation, the two universities should continue to strengthen investment in faculty development, student training, and academic governance. He called for joint efforts to establish a model of cross-cultural education with international relevance. Besides cooperating through Lanzhou University Wales College, he looks forward to deeper collaboration across multiple disciplines such as management, economics, and higher education, contributing to educational and cultural exchange between China and the United Kingdom.YANG Yongping remarked that the two institutions should take coordinated disciplinary development as a means to further unlock innovation potential in fields such as materials science and engineering. LZU will further take advantage of the UK’s cutting-edge curricula, faculty resources, and models of academic governance to create a disciplinary development mode that integrates Chinese characteristics with global standards. Both sides need to establish an interdisciplinary platform for bilateral innovation through mechanisms such as joint laboratories and the construction of an academic community, thus fostering deeper integration between basic research and applied outcomes. The goal is to generate internationally influential research achievements in key areas and set an example of disciplinary integration in global higher education cooperation, he said.
Evans commended LZU for its achievements in internationalization in recent years. She stated that this visit marked her first official trip to China since assuming office, and she has chosen LZU as the first stop because it is an important partner of UWTSD. She praised the regular high-level visit mechanism as a strong foundation for future collaboration. Therefore, she looks forward to deepening ties with LZU to promote innovative cooperation through joint research, student training and digital teaching resources sharing. She also warmly invited LZU leadership to pay a return visit to UWTSD.
During the visit, Evans and her colleagues also visited LZU Museum and Management Center of Scientific Observing Stations.
Also present at the event were heads of East Asia Original Office of UWTSD, and LZU’s Office of International Cooperation and Exchange and Wales College.
