The University of National and World Economy and the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China, together with the Chinese Educational Association for International Exchange, organized a Bulgarian-Chinese Forum of Rectors for Cooperation and Exchange. Official guests of the event were the Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to Bulgaria H.E. Dai Qingli, Deputy Minister of Education and Science Acad. Nikolay Vitanov, the Chairman of the Rectors Council and Rector of the University of Telecommunications and Post Prof. Dr. Miglena Temelkova, and Ms. Fu Bo, Deputy Secretary General of the China Educational Association for International Exchange.
“Today we are attending an event that will be talked about for a long time – a turning point in the educational policy of the two countries. Commemorating the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations with China, it is especially important that we focus on the exchange of students, lecturers and educational practices,” said the Rector of UNWE Prof. Dimitar Dimitrov in his welcoming speech to the participants.
“This forum is extremely important for both the Bulgarian and Chinese educational space. We have something to build on. I hope that after today’s forum the universities will achieve their strategic goals. I am convinced that Chinese and Bulgarian universities will be able to boast in 4-5 years a deep and extended cultural exchange, exchange students under different programmes and an expanded vision regarding their future development,” Prof. Temelkova said in her address to the representatives of higher education institutions from both countries.
The event was attended by representatives of 55 Chinese and 20 Bulgarian universities. In order to build new mutually beneficial forms of academic and scientific interaction and expand the partnership with higher education institutions from China, numerous Memorandums of Cooperation with Bulgarian universities with different profiles were signed on the very day of the event. During the forum, the processes of stimulating digitalization in higher education, deepening and expanding the relations in the field of science and the opportunities for concluding bilateral cooperation agreements were discussed.
The University of Telecommunications and Post signed a Memorandum of Cooperation with the University of Lanzhou, signed by Prof. Temelkova and Rector Han Gao Nian. The university also signed a memorandum with Beijing Post and Telecommunications University. Prof. Zhenzhen Chen, head of the international office of Beijing University of Post and Telecommunications (BUPT), visited the University and met in the laboratories and museum of UTP. In her meeting with Dr Boris Stanimirov, Head of the International Department of the University, Prof. Chen discussed the close profile of the two universities and the significant opportunities for future collaboration in academic exchange and scientific projects.
